Tom Mulcair one year later: What we’ve learned about him
The NDP leader, known beforehand for having a hot temper, has instead shown an unexpected degree of caution, writes TOBI COHEN.
Sunday marked Tom Mulcair’s first anniversary as leader of the federal New Democrats.
In that year, public support for the NDP has dipped slightly (to between 27 and 29 per cent, depending on the poll), party unity seems relatively intact and Mulcair has managed to duck the sort of Conservative mudslinging that tarnished the reputations of former official Opposition leaders such as Liberals Michael Ignatieff and Stéphane Dion. What has the NDP leader’s year been like? And what does his future hold?
THINGS WE LEARNED ABOUT MULCAIR IN THE PAST YEAR:
❚ He’s now Tom Mulcair in English, but Thomas Mulcair en français. A highly unscientific survey of pre-election news archives put the Thomas-to-Tom ratio at 14:1. Since then, all official NDP news releases, literature and websites refer to the leader differently, depending on the language. “Tom Mulcair” is his official English moniker.
❚ Mulcair still treads lightly on Quebec affairs. During the student uprising over tuition fees, he spoke cautiously, saying education was the province’s jurisdiction. While a handful of his New Democrats, some of whom were students just before entering elected politics, took part in the demonstrations and even wore red squares in solidarity, it was formal party policy to stay out of the fray. ❚ He’s keeping the beard. Canada hasn’t had a bearded prime minister since Mackenzie Bowell in 1894. “I’ve had this beard since I was 18 and I’m keeping my beard,” he says. ❚ Mulcair hasn’t quite sorted out the aboriginal affairs file. He said during the leadership race that he had a lot to learn about First Nations. He now says “there’s no issue on which I’ve held more meetings.” But he was admonished by critics for his silence during Chief Theresa Spence’s protest in Ottawa and the Idle No More movement. ❚ Once seen as a hothead, Mulcair has shown he can hold his tongue. In the House of Commons in December, Conservative House Leader Peter Van Loan stomped across the floor, finger wagging, to yell at NDP MP Nathan Cullen over a budget bill. While Mulcair intervened, it was Van Loan who took the brunt of the public criticism over his behaviour.
THINGS PEOPLE SAID ABOUT MULCAIR IN THE PAST YEAR:
❚ The Tories excoriated him for his “job killing carbon tax,” which they’ve cited hundreds of times during question period. But Mulcair says carbon taxes are “regressive” and that his party supports a cap-andtrade scheme. The NDP points out that the Tories also used to support cap-and-trade. ❚ Mulcair was called “facile” and “divisive” by Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall when he suggested Alberta’s oilsands were to blame for inflating the dollar and killing manufacturing jobs in Ontario and Quebec — the “Dutch disease,” a reference to a similar situation in the Netherlands in the 1970s. ❚ Mulcair was accused of “trash talking” Canada, after a recent trip to Washington, in which he slammed the Canadian government’s environmental record and raised concern about the Keystone XL pipeline. International Trade Minister Ed Fast called his comments about China “shocking,” adding they “undermine ... efforts to promote economic growth, investment and job creation in Canada.”
CHALLENGES MULCAIR FACES:
❚ Mulcair has dodged questions about the impact of a Justin Trudeau Liberal leadership win, saying the winner will be the Liberals’ “seventh leader in nine years.” But Trudeau could take a bite out of the 57 seats Mulcair has in Quebec, not to mention the 43 he has elsewhere. ❚ Bills and motions offer a glimpse into what an NDP government might look like. Mulcair himself has put forward a private member’s bill to make the Parliamentary Budget Officer independent and accountable to Parliament. He also tabled a motion calling on Prime Minister Stephen Harper to meet with his provincial counterparts to discuss the economy. His MPs have put forward bills to clarify the Clarity Act, boost organ donation and reduce sodium content in packaged foods. ❚ At the height of a recent Senate spending scandal, Mulcair danced around the question of whether he will appoint senators if his party forms the government in 2015 but finally said he would not. It’s long been the party’s position to abolish the Senate. ❚ The election of a Parti Québécois government in Quebec puts Mulcair in a difficult spot every time the province seeks new powers or puts forward legislation to protect the French language. Agreeing with the sovereigntist party could at once boost NDP support in Quebec but would hurt the NDP everywhere else. It hasn’t helped that Jonquière-Alma MP Claude Patry announced he was leaving the NDP and crossing the floor to the Bloc in February, reviving controversy over the party’s position on Quebec sovereignty. An NDP private member’s bill would recognize the legitimacy of a vote for sovereignty of 50 per cent plus one, while allowing the federal government to maintain some control over the wording of a referendum question. This appears to please no one inside or outside the party. ❚ Its ability to manage the economy will dog the NDP. The party has tried to counter any perceived weakness by citing examples of provincial NDP governments that have balanced the books. Mulcair points to his experience as a public administrator at the provincial level in a bid to boost his credentials.