Ruby Dhalla? No thank you!
October 6, 2009 · By Matthew Campbell
While I can appreciate the efforts that some in the Conservative Party have in their quest for a majority, bringing folks like Ruby Dhalla (Lib, Brampton-Springdale) into the fold will only serve to delay, if not destroy, those efforts in the end. Dr. Dhalla, now infamously tied to a scandal earlier this year involving the treatment of her family’s nannies, is nothing more but a Brampton version of Belinda Stronach, the former Newmarket MP whose short four-year stint as an parliamentarian was littered with hype and little else. Like Stronach, Dhalla’s unbridled ambitions have been mistaken by some in the media for leadership qualities, and, no doubt, it won’t be long before Dhalla will be seeing her professional designation, race, gender and geography as indisputable reason why she deserves to be in cabinet, if she were to join the government!
No, I’m sorry, while there is some good talent from the opposition benches that could benefit the Conservative team, Dr. Dhalla is not in that category! Plus, looking at the data, Dhalla only retained her seat by 750 votes last time and the predictors are predicting the riding to swing to the Tories in the next election anyway, it seems well worth the wait of a few months to have another election to correct this issue!
Matthew Campbell is webmaster of Election Target, a community where users can predict the results of elections on the riding and national levels.
As someone who spent the early part of my life in India, I am all too familiar with the attitude of the high castes, such as the one that Dhalla is from. This attitude was displayed a while back when Dhalla was in India and had her belongings stolen by some kids, who were subsequently caught by the police and brutally beaten. Her response to the whole incident was, “they deserved it”. The Conservatives have to be careful about propping up just anyone with an Indian name, because a large number of the Indo-Canadians with political ambitions are from the high castes and still carry that attitude with them. The issue of caste prejudice must be addressed.
Well, if three Liberals are seeking a new home I’d be prepared to lump Dhalla in with them. But by herself, no way.
Interestingly, Tom Clark’s interview John Ibbitson and Bob Fife (_http://www.smalldeadanimals.com/archives/012360.html) bears noting. Ibbitson makes a point about GTA going conservative during tough economic times. Perhaps Dhalla perceives this and is simply preparing to side with the winners? :)
At the end of the day, three MPs crossing the floor would add to Iggy’s woes. And that can’t be a bad thing.
Though not a conservative myself, I don’t think she’s the solution for you guys. Too many scandals, too embarrassing.
Also, she’s not exactly a conservative either. She’s pushing a pension reform C428 that would make conservatives across Canada throw a fit.
According to the article in the The Star, the Conservative source is saying that Ruby Dhalla is NOT one of the three that are in discussions with the Conservatives, but this same person suspects that it is Ruby herself that is circulating those rumors in order to strong-arm support for her Private Members Bill.
That being said, I do not support the idea of crossing the floor. As far as I’m concerned, the member should go back to their constituents and run in a by-election as a Conservative with the party’s blessing to do so, assuming that the current Conservative Candidate is willing to step aside OR there isn’t one currently recognized. This too should be run by the EDA of that Riding as they will be the ones paying for that by-election. Simply accepting the defection without due process is undemocratic.
Second, what would this gain the Conservatives? Will this give us a majority? No. Is this simply to spit in Mr. Ignatieff’s face a little? Probably, on both the parts of the Conservatives and the defectors.
Floor crossing is just bad business all around if you ask me.
Let’s be frank, at the best of times a traitor is not loved, but a liberal traitor??
too much baggage, dont want her.other libs, dont want them either. commons is too split to bury old hatchets without alot of backtracking and apologies which in the end would hurt the party in the next election.
i say let the libs rot in their own juices.
I don’t think she said “they deserved it.” And if I recall correctly, she was initially quoted before she was aware that the kids had been beaten.