Much can be learned from Ambrose’s leadership of Tories
It was a possibility following the 2015 federal elections, that the stitched together alliance between Reform and Progressive Conservatives would pull apart after over a decade of being held in Stephen Harper’s Hands.
Conservative or not, it’s a good thing this didn’t happen. Democracy requires a strong opposition to hold the government to account.
And it was Rona Ambrose, the party’s interim leader, whose steady hands at the helm of the party steered them past this first trial, kept the party strong when it comes to fundraising — and has even inched the party back up into popularity when Canadians are polled.
It’s a high note for Ambrose to leave on, as she announced this week she would be stepping down from her parliament seat.
“Ambrose is known on the Hill as a collegial MP, a tireless worker and someone who gets things done” wrote MacLean’s magazine when naming her 2016’s hardest working MP.
It’s not surprising that many people have wished that Ambrose would stay on as leader.
Ambrose deserves a nod for coming out to Medicine Hat during last year’s byelection. She could have easily shrugged it off, due to how reliably conservative this corner of Canada is.
Her accomplishments are also noteworthy because — let’s face it — it’s tough being a woman in politics. The media, public and colleagues can be extremely unforgiving, with double standards, and ready to rip apart female politicians. She’s navigated these waters fearlessly.
She deserves a nod for being able to change her mind and grow — take her evolution from voting against same-sex marriage in 2005 to now supporting it. Or there’s her accomplishments that cross party lines. Like the work she and fellow Alberta Conservative MP Michelle Rempel have done to push the government on welcoming Yazidi refugees into Canada. This includes getting the government to declare what ISIS has done against the Yazidis as genocide — a heavy term often skirted around — and ensuring that the horrors like sex slavery perpetuated against Yazidi women is recognized.
And Ambrose’s most recent bill which will require comprehensive training in sexual assault law for anyone who wants to be considered for a judgeship, and other changes to the Criminal Code, including that requires decisions on sexual assault cases to be either recorded or written.
It’s a timely, important bill considering the infamous Alberta judge who asked a sexual assault complainant why she couldn’t “keep her knees together,” or the Halifax judge who acquitted a taxi driver of sexual assault, saying that “a drunk can consent.”
This new bill has garnered Liberal support — it’s a testament to what can be achieved when partisanship is put aside and MPs get down to work.
How Ambrose has handled leading the Official Opposition should have served as an example for the soon-to-be-merged Progressive Conservative and Wildrose parties in Alberta. The PCs, dragged open by infighting — while the loudest Wildrose voices often relying on hyperbole and stunts. Her leadership is a lesson for the future merged party, and for whoever takes the helm of the federal Conservatives once the leadership race is over.
Ambrose represents the sort of politician who doesn’t just appeal to hyper-partisan, left vs. right and cliches and dogma, but of what can happen when the folks Canadians send to Ottawa actually listen to each other, work together and solve the problems we face.
That’s the sort of MPs Canadians want, and for that she will be sorely missed.
“Ambrose represents the sort of politician who doesn’t just appeal to hyper-partisan, left vs. right and cliches and dogma, but of what can happen when the folks Canadians send to Ottawa actually listen to each other, work together and solve the problems we face.”