For all the talk of a dysfunctional House of Commons, what has transpiredover the past few weeks is precisely the opposite. Oh, to be sure, for BayStreet, newspaper editors, hysterical right wing pundits like Andrew Coyneof the National Post and the self-absorbed Rex Murphy of the CBC, it isdysfunctional because the dismantling of the country has been put on hold.That, after all, has been the “function” of the House of Commons underTories and Liberals ever since the free trade deal went through after the1988 election.

But if you are talking about government functioning in the interests ofordinary Canadians, families, communities and the nation, Parliamentfunctioned better this past week than it has at any time in the past 20years.

Forget the lack of so-called “decorum,” the name-calling, theopportunism of the Liberals and the motives of Belinda Stronach. Who cares?If you are keeping your eye on the prize, for the first time in a long time,Canadians actually got out of a federal government what they have beensaying for over a decade that they want: a return to activist governmentwhich operates in their interests and not in the exclusive interests ofcorporations and the wealthy.

And they got it because the NDP’s leader Jack Layton was able to leveragejust 19 seats — a fifth of what the over-represented Conservatives have — toachieve a package of progressive funding arrangements for the environment,cities, affordable housing, child care and universities. All themachinations aside, that is what happened on May 19 as the Liberal governmentmanaged to win a budget vote by the skin of its teeth.

Harper can’t win

There is, of course, no need to get delusional about what happened. PaulMartin, in his best of all possible worlds, is as obedient a hand maiden ofBay Street as ever walked the halls of Parliament. As finance minister fornine years he did more to dismantle the fabric of Canada’s social programsthan even Brian Mulroney dared to do — and in the process also managed togive obscene tax breaks to the wealthy and to large corporations that alsoout-paced Mulroney.

And it is a certainty that Martin supports Bay Street’s “deepintegration” initiative by which what is left of Canada would be handed overto the US — a sacrifice in the interests of Canadian corporations who can’tcompete with their US counterparts. He is deeply committed, as well, tomassive privatization through public private partnerships — a program thathas simply been put on the shelf waiting for a Liberal majority.

The only thing preventing this horrendous agenda from going forward are the19 NDP MPs whose influence is far greater than their numbers suggest.Not only do those numbers count in this House but they give the progressivesin the Liberal caucus the backbone they need to resist a right-wing primeminister. If Martin had a majority, he would silence these dissidents withthe same ruthless efficiency with which he silenced his opponents in theLiberal leadership race.

As for the leader of the loyal opposition, Stephen Harper just doesn’t getit. Hidden in the media spin surrounding the budget votes is allthe evidence the Conservative Party needs to rid itself of the man whocannot possibly win them power. Far be it from me to help thisReform/Alliance retread party be more effective, given its draconian, hiddenagenda. But the fact is, this extremist agenda is exactly what Harper bringsto the party.

If the Conservatives actually chose someone from the oldProgressive Conservative wing of their party as leader, not only would theydo better, but Canada would not be constantly threatened by Harper’s visionof creating a carbon copy of the US north of the border. While Harper isalmost pathologically committed to an American vision of the country, what’sleft of the old PCs — especially the Red Tories — might just have enoughgood sense left to recognize that Canadians are moving to the left in theirvalues and policy preferences.

The Stronach wing

Of course the likelihood of this happening is very slim as the majority inthe party is made up of old Alliance members, including all the extremistnut-bars who stopped Preston Manning at the Manitoba border. But old PCConservatives in Ontario (of the Belinda Stronach school) must be looking atStephen Harper and realizing that under his leadership they are doomed tolose. Even on the eve of the budget vote, the Liberals were suddenly backinto a commanding 15-point lead in the province, according to an Ekos poll.If Conservative MPs have any sense they should be phoning Chuck Cadman andthanking him. Had there been election, Harper and his party would have beenhammered in every part of the country except Alberta and Saskatchewan.

Just what would Harper have offered Canadians? His campaign, if he washonest, would have sounded something like this: “Vote for me. I just forcedan election on the 65 per cent of you who didn’t want one. I just declaredthat the Gomery inquiry is irrelevant and so too is your desire to hear himout. I think spending $250 million on an unwanted election is not too high aprice to pay for my ambition. And, oh yes, I voted for the old budget — butexplicitly opposed the NDP budget changes and more money for education,housing, child care, the environment and cities.”

Way to go Stephen.

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Murray Dobbin

Murray Dobbin was rabble.ca's Senior Contributing Editor. He was a journalist, broadcaster, author and social activist for over 40 years. A board member and researcher with the Canadian Centre for Policy...