“That such a slave as this should wear a sword,
Who wears no honesty. Such smiling rogues as these,
Like rats, oft bite the holy cords a-twain
Which are t’intrinse t’unloose; smooth every passion
That in the nature of their lords rebel,
Being oil to fire, snow to the colder moods;
(Renege,) affirm, and turn their halcyon beaks
With every gale and vary of their masters,
Knowing nought (like dogs) but following.
A plague upon your epileptic visage!”
(Shakespeare’s King Lear: II, ii, ll 72-81)
You must forgive the English teacher within me as I ponder the results of the recent federal election. One doesn’t have to convince pro-lifers that God is alive and at work in our land. The number of pro-life, pro-family members of Parliament elected and re-elected is clear evidence of that. But convincing prime ministers and prime minister “wannabees” of God’s presence is akin to teaching King Lear to first-year ESL students.
Paul Martin should know better than to play the role of Oswald, the servant with the “epileptic visage” that the noble Kent so rightfully denounces in the above-quoted lines. It was sad to watch him on the campaign trail – apologetic, afraid, eager to please anyone and everyone, a chameleon changing colour at the slightest breeze. He was truly a tragic figure to behold, but he brought it on himself. When one seeks power and pride, one easily loses sight of one’s upbringing, morality and purpose. All that matters is the prize.
Stephen Harper was no better. As the leader of a party that rose phoenix-like from the ashes of a purportedly pro-life, pro-family party, he, too, was seduced by the very real possibility that the prime minister’s office was easily within his grasp. How quickly he distanced himself from his pro-life candidates, how quickly he waffled on the same-sex “marriage” issue, how quickly he became like the Oswald of the epileptic visage. And how quickly the public turned on him.
A dinner took place in the winter of 1990-91, in an upscale restaurant in Mississauga. Paul Martin was the host and his invited guests were mainly eager and enthusiastic young adults who had worked on his failed leadership campaign. It was his way of saying, “Thank you.” Martin sat apart from the main group and had dinner with Liberal MP Albina Guarnieri, her soon-to-be-husband John Campbell, Dan McCash and this scribe. Liberals for Life had managed to garner 200 delegates to the 1990 Liberal leadership convention in Calgary, which saw Jean Chretien win on the first ballot. Had Chretien not had such an insurmountable lead, those 200 delegates would have played a big role in deciding the next prime minister of Canada. This dinner was Paul Martin positioning himself for another run at the leadership.
In the months of delegate selection meetings, Liberals for Life had worked closely with the Paul Martin camp in sharing slates to defeat what normally would have been Chretien victories. In the course of these meetings, Liberals for Life had demonstrated that they were knowledgeable, trustworthy, loyal to their pro-life and pro-family positions and that they were capable of delivering. It didn’t take long for the Martin camp to forgo the formality of signed deals and simply seal things with a telephone call. Albina wanted to make sure that Martin was aware of the power of the pro-life constituency and how it could help him. I remember clearly Martin’s disbelief on learning that Liberals for Life had managed to secure 200 delegates on a paltry budget of $50,000. One can only guess the budget that Martin had to work with.
Martin’s second lesson came at the Liberal bi-ennial convention in February 1992. Liberals for Life had become such a force within in the party that meetings were held to discuss ways of limiting their power. An interesting read is a headline article that ran in the Feb. 24, 1992 Ottawa Citizen, entitled, “Behind the scenes at a political ‘hijack’ attempt.” Mark Kennedy wrote, “An internal ‘working group’ has been established in Ottawa to keep track of the situation. Its members include Chretien’s two senior officials, chief of staff Jean Pelletier and principal secretary Eddie Goldenberg, as well as veteran backroom boy Gordon Ashworth and MPs (Brian) Tobin and (Sergio) Marchi. The group believes Liberals for Life have elected between 400 and 500 delegates, though not all may show up … Early February: Tobin and Marchi arrange a series of informal lunches in the parliamentary dining room with Liberal MPs. They discuss whether the party should come down hard on the anti-abortion group at the convention. Even ‘pro-life’ MPs like John Nunziata and Don Boudria come on side. (Tom) Wappel is not included in the lunches. The brass already knows he won’t support the immediate full-court press.”
Well, Paul, most of the players named by Ottawa Citizen reporter Mark Kennedy. But not Tom Wappel. A smart politician would be well advised to heed his advice and that of the pro-life caucus on the Hill. God is alive and at work in our land. I will continue to pray, Paul, that you will one day wake up and fully accept this reality. You need to cast yourself in the role of Kent, who was loyal to his master, and abandon this unbecoming role of Oswald with the “epileptic visage.” God has created you for nobler things, asks that you follow in the footsteps of your namesake and reminds you that you are part of a royal priesthood, a royal race.
Who knows, perhaps this minority government is just God’s way of building a new society.
Jim Barnes is the vice-president (publicity) for Liberals for Life and a former candidate for president of the Federal Liberal Party of Canada.
