Ex-cabinet minister Tom Siddon talks politics... and more
Tom Siddon is Area D (Okanagan Falls, Apex, Kaleden) director for the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen.
He was a Member of Parliament for Burnaby-Richmond-Delta from 1978 until the Conservatives were defeated in 1993. During that time, he served as Minister of Fisheries and Oceans; Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development (creating the new territory of Nunavut); and Minister of National Defence.
He spoke with Herald editor James Miller, Monday, about one of his favourite topics — politics.
HERALD: What did you think of the provincial election?
SIDDON: It was closer than I would have anticipated. I’ve been supportive of our MLA Linda Larson, who I worked closely with. She’s done a number of positive things in the electoral area that I represent. I was very pleased she and Dan Ashton and other Liberals up and down the valley were re-elected. I’m not surprised the vote went the other way in the Lower Mainland. In some respects, I’m glad to see the Greens consolidate some of the support they have. But the jury is still out until the 24th of May.
HERALD: You were a member of Joe Clark’s minority government. Are minority governments a good or bad thing?
SIDDON: Minority governments are generally short-lived. Ours lasted nine months under Joe Clark. With minority governments, if there’s one party holding the balance of power, they have a lot of leverage. To try and achieve political objectives creates an unstable and unpredictable situation.
HERALD: Canada got Medicare because of a minority government.
SIDDON: Everyone has their own theory. Tommy Douglas first brought it forward as premier of Saskatchewan, but John Diefenbaker had the Hall Commission and I could say John Diefenbaker deserves as much credit as Tommy Douglas. It’s not right to conclude that a minority government got us Medicare, it was already in the works when Diefenbaker held a majority.
HERALD: How do you feel Mr. (Justin) Trudeau is doing?
SIDDON: I was willing to give him some slack. I’m now being barraged by the leadership candidates for the Conservative party and reading their concerns on the status of the economy, the size of the deficit. I’m not enamoured on (Trudeau’s) quick movement on marijuana and I did not agree with his approach to Parliamentary reform. It’s putting him in a vulnerable situation for the next election. I can say Mr. Trudeau has made his mark internationally because he’s young. He’s proven to be a significant presence on the international stage as opposed to some of the old guys.
HERALD: You spoke against decriminalization of marijuana at a UBCM convention four years ago. Why are you opposed?
SIDDON: I think the issues we have today with substance abuse are devastating, and legalization only opens the door for a lot more young people being hooked on drugs. It’s not a solution to put the hard drug dealers out of business, it’s an opening for young kids to feel it’s legitimate to experiment with marijuana. It doesn’t solve the problem, it will compound the problem. I worry about kids who go down that path. Maybe it’s not the majority, but some kids are not finishing their education, not focusing on a career, and they’re having 10 or 20 years of their lives burned before they decide how to get it back together. HERALD: Trump? SIDDON: We were in Arizona the last few weeks of the campaign and I felt then you couldn’t believe anything that Donald Trump has to say. I think he has not only the United States, but the entire world, in a potential state of anxiety with some serious consequences — the Koreans, the Iranians, what form of conversing there was with Russia. This is all damaging to the United States and the free world. His erratic nature of making decisions, detracting decisions, overriding statements of the people he’s appointed, is a serious problem.
HERALD: Do you believe history will judge the Brian Mulroney years favourably?
SIDDON: I think that history will see that some of the things we were able to achieve in government were appropriate for their time. Things get erased and times change and priorities and values change. I left federal politics at the age of 53 and I’m now 75. I didn’t do it to be memorialized in the historical annals of Canada, but I believe the Mulroney period will stand a good test even with all of the side events with issues such as the Meech Lake Accord and the Free Trade Agreement.
HERALD: What are your thoughts on Trump wanting to tear up trade agreements with Canada?
SIDDON: Softwood lumber has been a major irritant from when we were there. In the free trade agreement, we assured that we had dispute resolution panels that were balanced. Canada had much less population but in a judicial decision as to if trade policies were equitable or not, Canada would have an equal voice with the United States. In the case of softwood lumber, Canada has always won in front of the dispute resolution panels.
HERALD: What are the challenges the RDOS will face during the next 18 months?
SIDDON: The immediate concern is flooding. The issues of flooding and fires are clear evidence that our climate is changing, the prolonged winter weather, the wetness. The world has got to come to grips with that. While we continue to use hydrocarbons in the short-term, in the long-term, we have to find ways to create an electrified economy which minimizes greenhouse gases and contamination of the atmosphere. The polar ice caps and high mountain glaciers are melting so rapidly they’re having profound implications. If I had another political life in me, I’d make it a significant priority for myself. These are serious issues with no simple answers.
HERALD: Do you support a national park for the South Okanagan Similkameen?
SIDDON: I do. I think it would be a very positive step. If we don’t get the one that has been proposed for the past 17 years, we won’t ever get a national park. You look at Banff National Park and the adjacent mountain parks, they are beautiful places, something very special. It’s a no-brainer to develop one in the South Okanagan while protecting the rights of people such as the ranchers and Native interests.