Sorry to say, the diminution of Jody Wilson-Raybould has taken hold in earnest.
The once-mighty cabinet minister, an Indigenous icon who stood to break barrier after barrier from the centre of national power, is indeed paying the price for pushing back and speaking out.
She will take the hard, machine-less road to re-election in October as an independent candidate in her Vancouver-Granville riding. Even if successful, she will continue to operate as she has in recent months at the periphery of a House of Commons overtly and increasingly centralized and partisan.
Her resignation from cabinet earlier this year over the pressurized tactics by the Trudeau government to grant SNC-Lavalin a deferred prosecution agreement instead of a trial propelled her status in the country as an independent voice.
Well, now she gets to walk the talk. But it is a lonely, long walk.
Ottawa has treated independence in its members of Parliament as a nuisance at best and an offence at worst to a culture of elite decision-making dominated in the prime minister’s office and distributed to a handful of key ministers. She was one, as was fellow former minister Jane Philpott, another Liberal who resigned to sit independently and who will take the same difficult journey to return to the Commons.
The two will forge some sort of alliance – as Wilson-Raybould will somehow with the Greens, whom she reportedly talked to extensively about joining and called “natural and necessary allies” Monday on mitigating climate change.
Wilson-Raybould and Philpott would have been marquee additions to the Green roster, momentum generators for a party that won a byelection in Nanaimo-Ladysmith this month and has again picked up points in the polls as the election nears.
Independence is virtuous and honourable, but in their cases will be a long, steep drop in status from the treetop into the wilderness. Governments red and blue alike have stifled private members’ bills, non-whipped votes of conscience, regular independent turns in question period, requests for research funds and prominence in spending announcements.
Wilson-Raybould and Philpott will find it very tricky to find traction. They will doubtlessly break ranks on several issues to be more popular on them than the sitting government might be, but they will be limited in how they can apply their insights without betraying their former cabinet confidences.
Wilson-Raybould was impressive in her explanation of her motives Monday to seek re-election outside of the party system in what she termed the “best way to transform the political culture.” She noted politics is called a team sport and a blood sport and argued she is “not sure there has to be any blood involved.”
What there is, she lamented, is “too much power at the centre,” “partisanship trumping principle,” and a “lack of diversity.”
All true, all problematic, all in need of alternatives, all unlikely to be fixed any time soon.
When our prime minister repeals his pledge for proportional representation and shows no remorse for his dispute with his former ministers, he certainly doesn’t appear to be the avatar of change – no matter his professed belief that he is doing politics differently.
He had to be relieved Monday that Green Leader Elizabeth May hadn’t added the two former ministers to the team. Mind you, his own uphill battles remain.
Kirk LaPointe is editor-in-chief of Business in Vancouver and vice-president, editorial, of Glacier Media.
