FUNCTION OF OPPOSITION
The Conservatives have announced their shadow cabinet. Near the top of the list, on the natural resources portfolio, is Candice Bergen, who tweeted the other day that she was “so embarrassed and sickened by PMJT” — a reference to the new prime minister of Canada.
This, like some other remarks by the recently defeated Conservatives, set off a debate about whether the Conservatives are serious about adjusting their tone. It is still an open question about whether a party that was formed in the trenches of minority government even knows how.
A member of Parliament can, and should, tell Canadians when they’re sickened by a policy. Strong language is part of the job. A member of Parliament should not declare herself to be sickened by the individual standing opposite in the House of Commons. There’s a fundamental difference.
The role of Opposition does not require personal nastiness. Indeed, nastiness can undermine the legitimacy of a critique, and lowers public confidence in Parliament. Neither does Opposition require disingenuous talking points, flawed logic or appeals to the worst in human nature. Schoolyard heckles accomplish precisely zero. Sharp words can accomplish a lot.
Whatever the new Conservative “tone” turns out to be, it doesn’t have to be a progressive tone. It doesn’t even always have to be dignified or nice, when niceness is not warranted. It can be sharp, and direct. It can draw blood. It can even, heaven help us, be folksy.
The Conservatives’ job is now to point out the Liberals’ flaws, and question everything the Liberals do. When the government messes up — as it will, as all governments do — the Opposition must be ready to say so in terms that leave no doubt. It would be tedious if the Opposition flubs its job by continuing the old Conservative addiction to meaningless talking points. It would be equally tedious if the Liberals and NDP chastise them for their tone every time they land a blow, as tedious as the partisans who quote Jack Layton’s words back at NDPers on the flimsiest opportunity.
The face of Canadian politics has changed. All three major parties have a chance at a re-set, a chance to ask themselves how they will elevate public discourse and respect the intelligence of the people who elected them. There are several people in the new Conservative shadow cabinet who didn’t get the spotlight much when Stephen Harper was prime minister; conversely, there are several high-profile Conservatives who are conspicuously peripheral now to the spotlight. It will be a different caucus, with different goals, and a new interim leader. It is there not to represent the third of Canadians who voted for the party, but to do a job for Her Majesty.