The time Mauril Bélanger stood up for Stephen Harper

In 21 years as a member of Parliament, Mauril Bélanger earned the respect of his fellow peers as a fairminded politician whose respect for the institution of Parliament trumped petty politics. Bélanger, who died Tuesday months after being diagnosed with ALS, had hoped to become Speaker of the House where he believed he could bring order and decorum to the institution he loved. He offered, as he liked to say, “non-partisan partisanship.”

That was more than just words. In September 2009, Bélanger wrote a letter to the Ottawa Citizen taking the paper to task for an unflattering editorial cartoon of thenprime minister Stephen Harper. The cartoon showed a kneeling Harper after having fetched a ball that U.S. President Barack Obama had thrown for his dog. The caption said, “His master’s voice.” It was too much for Bélanger to abide: There is much about Prime Minister Stephen Harper I do not like: His “my way or the highway” attitude towards Parliament is disrespectful. His abusive habit of declaring almost everything a confidence matter has poisoned the 39th and 40th minority Parliaments. Then there is his divisive and over-partisan way of governing our country, or his right-wing agenda.

Let it be very clear, I’m a Liberal at heart and will always be so.

Yet, even he, Stephen Harper the prime minister, and Stephen Harper the man does not deserve to be portrayed as he is in the caricature on your editorial page on Sept. 18. Shame on the Citizen for debasing the office of prime minister.

And you wonder why people get turned off of politics. Mauril Bélanger, Liberal MP for Ottawa-Vanier