POLITICAL DISCOURSE TAKING A DISMAL PATH
Debate over UCP’s undesirable elements may be all NDP has,
This is not what I wanted my first column to be.
I would have much rather eased into this new gig by writing about a government policy, or previewing the upcoming fall sitting of the legislature.
Instead I find myself compelled to weigh in on a disturbing moment that could escalate into a full-fledged leitmotif in Alberta politics for the next several months.
As many Albertans now know, a trio of United Conservative Party nomination candidates in Edmonton attended a pub night hosted by the party last weekend in which they posed for pictures with members of a white nationalist, anti-immigration group called Soldiers of Odin.
Two of the candidates, Leila Houle and Nicole Williams, later posted a joint statement saying they had no idea who the men were, and condemning the group’s views. The third nomination hopeful, Lance Coulter, said he knew of the group, but said while he doesn’t agree with what they stand for, they have a “constitutional right to voice their opinions.”
It’s no surprise the first two candidates’ explanation has produced an eye roll or two, considering the “soldiers” were wearing clothing advertising their odious affiliation. UCP Leader Jason Kenney added to the ridicule Tuesday when he went so far as to suggest to reporters that the group could have been mistaken for a baseball team or motorcycle gang.
I’m willing to give the nominees the benefit of the doubt that they didn’t know the meaning of “S.O.O.” on the men’s clothing.
But I also recognize that if the defence of ignorance is granted, then it has to be assumed none of the three potential nominees bothered to ask a question before smiling for the camera.
Houle, who is Indigenous, issued another statement Wednesday calling for an antihate task force, declaring herself the best nominee to lead such an effort, and asking her two rivals to step down on that basis.
While the idea for such a task force is fine — and somewhat similar to a hate crimes unit the NDP is currently working on — making that suggestion now is bit like waiting to re-shingle the roof until the hurricane arrives.
Kenney’s take on the matter was to insist the UCP hopefuls were victims of “political mischief ” by the Alberta Independence Party, “who apparently are associated with various kooky organizations.”
He said the potential candidates were obviously targets because one is Indigenous and another is Metis, although that doesn’t explain the pictures with Coulter, who is not of Aboriginal descent.
And that’s not the only issue with Kenney’s defence.
First, the word “kooky” is a dismissive characterization that dramatically undersells the dangerous nature of hate groups.
I associate it most prominently with the Addams Family theme song — “they’re creepy and they’re kooky, mysterious and spooky” — as a word to describe eccentric but basically harmless characters.
I know Halloween is coming, but that’s not an appropriate term for a truly frightening movement like Soldiers of Odin.
But even if we grant Kenney the excuse of poor word choice, his insistence that this was obviously a case of political troublemaking is harder to swallow.
We don’t really know the motivation for the Soldiers of Odin’s appearance at the pub night, but it seems just as possible they may have felt welcome to attend.
This was a point Premier Rachel Notley was eager to make when she called a news conference Tuesday morning.
She said Albertans can’t be blamed for thinking the worst of the UCP because there have been eight cases in recent months of party hopefuls caught expressing racist or homophobic sentiments.
While such nominees have been largely unsuccessful, the fact that most were even allowed to run is part of a “pattern of behaviour” that shows the UCP is open to extremists, she said.
Notley is right about much of that. But it’s not clear she should be the one saying it.
The NDP could have let the UCP take its lumps from the media and the public without wading in so forcefully.
The fact the premier decided to bring more attention to the issue makes it hard not to wonder if the NDP has anything else in its tool box to fight the next election.
The new pipeline to the West Coast has stalled. The economy is still struggling in places like Calgary. Alberta’s debt is still climbing. Notley and company may have nothing left but to keep pointing out the undesirable elements plaguing the UCP.
If Kenney can find a way to better exorcise those demons, he could conceivably cruise to victory next year. Whatever happens next, it seems we better get used to this kind of discourse.
This is not the subject I wanted for my first column, but it also appears it won’t be the last time I have to write about it.