An Apology Would Be Helpful

Decorum in the House was supposed to be getting better over these last few weeks and there certainly has been the odd better moment. But then yesterday, Conservative Joy Smith rose from her seat and accused Michael Ignatieff of maligning Winnipeg's Filipino community while he was present in that city campaigning for the local Liberal candidate for the upcoming by-election. It became an instant story in the Winnipeg Free Press and the Conservative member was on it quickly. As she castigated the Liberal leader, I watched Conservative Michael Chong, seated a couple of rows in front of her, stare down hard at his desk in obvious chagrin. It's Chong's bill on improving Parliamentary decorum that's winding its way through the House at present. He wasn't alone, as many MPs stared in discomfort at her overtly partisan dressing down of a leading political figure.I know Joy Smith, and have even served on committee with her. At one point I rose in the House to speak favourably of a bill she was putting forward on human trafficking. She has continued to champion that cause and deserves our respect for doing so. Why, then, was she behaving in such a negative fashion yesterday? I would be willing to guess that her statement wasn't her idea at all, but one that was assigned to her by the powers that be in the Conservative Party to bring about embarrassment for the Leader of the Opposition. The champion against human trafficking was being used herself for political purposes - an irony that troubled me. When she concluded by demanding that Ignatieff apologize for his statement, an audible groan ran its way through the Chamber.Even while all this was going on, some pretty strong backpedaling was taking place in the rooms of those who broke the story, and for this we have to thank the Pundit's Guide for doing some pretty stellar work. By publishing the transcript of the interview where Ignatieff was supposed to have insulted the Filipino community, they brought out into the open what was really a case of poor editorial license. I could write it all down here, but you're best to go to the Pundit's Guide article directly and read it for yourself - http://www.punditsguide.ca/2010/11/liberal-leader-candidate-refute-free-press-story/Stephen Taylor, one of the more partisan Conservative bloggers, had to reverse his earlier rant against Ignatieff by slamming some poor editorial choices, and I thank him for at least seeking out fairness on this story. It's clear that some mistakes were made  that could indeed be damaging to the Liberal leader and his candidate. But it is important to recognize that retractions are currently underway. Naturally, no apologies will be granted to Ignatieff because the media rarely offers such indulgences.Which brings us back to Joy Smith. In her statement, she referred to how poorly it all reflected on politics and democracy. Sadly, in the end, it was her very own words that were proving the point. It will hardly assist her in creating cross-party support for her trafficking file. John Baird, the government House leader, continues to emphasize how he and others are attempting to show leadership by reducing the mean partisanship so readily apparent in Ottawa. Where was he when this was going down? I can tell you because I witnessed it - quietly observing the Liberal leader's discomfort. So much for leadership in decorum.The Conservative member was told what to say and her comments didn't grace the House yesterday. Perhaps her superiors, caught in their own web of partisanship, could ask her to apologize for falsely accusing another member. But that would be asking too much. Joy Smith is a good person trapped in the thicket of hyper-partisanship. Meanwhile, the veneer of decorum continues - skin deep and hypocritical in its content. Clearly, expecting decency has its limits and we're not learning our lessons. The Parliament of Canada is meant to be above this. Clearly, we're not there yet.