Voters have last word

The question invariably comes up whenever a sitting MP or provincial legislator switches political parties.

Which do you vote for, candidate or party? The answer, of course, varies from voter to voter and election to election.

Floor crossings, like last week’s defection of Fredericton MP Jenica Atwin from the Green party to the Liberals, always stir controversy.

Fredericton voters elected a Green party MP, so should Atwin now resign and seek a mandate as a Liberal in a byelection? Or, having elected candidate Atwin, should voters in her riding wait until the next general election to pass judgment on her decision?

Atwin, like past floor-crossers, is under no legal obligation to resign and seek immediate re-election. But what’s the right thing to do?

It depends on the circumstances.

In this situation, with the country still battling a pandemic, a byelection — though doable — is more complicated than the norm.

Meanwhile, a minority government could be forced to the polls at almost any time Parliament is sitting.

In any case, the argument is moot, as Atwin isn’t resigning. And the minority Liberals are rumoured to be planning a federal election as soon as this fall anyway.

But Atwin’s decision to abandon the Greens may be a factor in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s timing.

The Fredericton MP’S youth and pro-environment credentials are welcome assets on the Liberal ledger. News of her defection to the Grits — and how she handles herself — could help the government in any number of ridings.

More compelling is that Atwin’s floor-crossing has revealed deep fissures within the Green party itself.

Atwin cited irreconcilable differences of opinion with party leader Annamie Paul as motivation for leaving. Most pointedly, Atwin, known for a strong pro-palestinian position, sharply criticized Paul’s moderate statements on the Israelipalestinian crisis last month. Then, Paul didn’t rebuke her senior adviser Noah Zatzman (whose contract was recently not renewed) for a May 14 social media post implying anti-semitism within the party.

On Tuesday night, the Green party’s governing executive council, dealing with its own resignations, called on Paul to “explicitly support” the party’s caucus (former leader Elizabeth May and Paul Manly) or face a non-confidence motion on July 20.

Paul was elected leader in October, 2020, the first Black Canadian and Jewish woman to lead a Canadian political party.

Meanwhile, Atwin’s motives are under scrutiny. Atwin cited the Palestinian issue as a factor, but her choice of the Liberals seems motivated by political power. As observers note, the NDP’S position on the Middle East mirrored her own, not the Liberals’ stance that both sides in that conflict bear responsibility.

Fredericton historically has mostly gone Liberal or Conservative.

Tellingly, Atwin has already sounded more moderate on the Middle East situation.

In the last few decades, history shows that floor-crossers, regardless of direction, often pay a price at the polls in the next election.

Atwin’s fate, as it should be, will be up to Fredericton voters.