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Tom Bateman - Week Three Grades

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Bloc Quebecois

The big event last week was, of course the leaders' debates. As we have come to expect, Duceppe presented himself and his cause as rational, inevitable, and without the bitterness, resentment, and heightened sense of grievance that have aggravated English-speaking Canadians for a generation. It is hard not to understand Duceppe to be an ambassador for a country yet to be born. In Friday's debate he gets high marks for clarity. Many Canadians probably wish their country was as uncomplicated as the one of Duceppe's imagination. Unlike the other leaders, Duceppe did answer the question about what Canada would do if Quebeckers voted to separate.

Conservative Party

For sticking to his guns on same-sex marriage, Harper must be given due credit. Of course, we all know that this horse has left the barn: no matter how free the vote, any change to the same-sex regime is not forthcoming. He did cave in on the use of s. 33, and this will disappoint his core constituents, but of course he already has these votes; he needs the votes of those for whom s. 33 is some sort of demonic symbol.

On day care policy, voters were treated to the most important policy divide of the campaign: Liberal paternalism versus Conservative trust in those primarily responsible for the welfare of their children. It is hard to confront the rhetoric that parents should be trusted to spend their money on their children according to their lights - even though we all know many who fail to spend their money wisely on themselves and their dependants..
Watch for derisive 'beer and popcorn' ads in January.

If, as the Conservatives say, public policy is not to be paternalistic, then why must Canadians be given a tax credit for putting their kids in organized sports? What if Canadian parents want to buy violin lessons, skateboards, books, popcorn? Oh, the frustrations of bourgeois politics...

Harper made the best use of the format for the leaders'
debates. The pithy questions followed by uninterrupted responses from the leaders plays to policy focus, and Harper played well.

Liberal Party

The story of the week is not so much the beer and popcorn gaffe but the fact that that misstep has become the great mistake of a steady, low profile Liberal campaign to date.
Reid's statement fell like crumb's from the King's table.

It is not as if the Liberals have no monopoly on paternalism.

Unsurprisingly, Martin became the object of attacks from all sides. His finest moment was his response to Duceppe's separatism. I am a Quebecker, Martin went on, in probably the most genuine salvo of the English debate. But the problem for the Liberals is that the national unity mantra is hollow coming from the mouths of Liberals over the course of whose administration Quebec separatism has become stronger and more credible. And it is also true that the national unity well is beginning to dry up. Canada is a post-nation. If it has a future at all, it will survive by a studied avoidance of nationalism.

For these reasons the Liberals' chest-thumping at the Americans is an old joke. When will the Liberal government next ask the American Defense Department for a ride on one of its planes to the next peacekeeping hotspot?

Senate reform? Much ado about nothing. Next...

New Democratic Party

According to Jack Layton, we need 1 million day care spaces. Soon enough half of us would be in day cares, the other half in adjoining nursing homes. I can hardly wait.

In the debate, Layton was clearly feeling the squeeze. Harper is apparently no longer scary to him. Now Martin is scary. The NDP must prevent the voters' frightened retreat to the Liberals in the face of a scary Harper; if this happens the NDP is frozen out. Also, if the Conservatives do win a plurality of seats, they will need NDP support. And the NDP will want to make the Tory government somewhat viable, because of the Tories fame out badly, then the revitalized Liberals would soon be returned with a majority and will govern without NDP influence.

Accordingly, Layton failed to exploit the policy-friendly structure of the debate format. And policy has been the NDP's traditional forte.

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