Just One More Mountain To Climb

I have never really talked much to the Conservative MP from Manitoba, Shelley Glover. On those occasions when our paths have crossed she has been friendly. Her increasingly strident comments in the House since the gun registry vote have been noted by many and have been troubling.Even still, reading of Ms. Glover's personal slight of Winnipeg Liberal MP Anita Neville filled me with a sense of disgust. I know it's an election, and I also know you've got to take what politicians say in such a time with a grain of salt, but even still, this went far beyond the pale. For accuracy, catch the link to Jane Taber's Globe and Mail column:http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/ottawa-notebook/shelly-glovers-expiry-date-quip-riles-seniors/article1961011/I have been in the House of Commons for four years and observed repeatedly how difficult it is for women to make their way in such a male dominated environment. I don't know of any that have had a more difficult time than Anita Neville. Why? Because she's been targeted repeatedly by two Conservatives - Glover and Vic Toews - along with an all-out assault from the Conservative Party itself in its use of ten-percenters to flood Neville's riding with some of the most negative propaganda any Parliamentarian has witnessed. In order to blanket her entire riding, ten-percenters were sponsored by numerous Conservative MPs from across the country even though they weren't from Winnipeg. I had seen lots of these negative advertisements used with taxpayer dollars in the past, even in my own riding, but nothing could be compared to what they have done to Anita Neville herself.To be clear, Anita Neville is 68 years of age, was first elected in 2000, and has been a true champion of aboriginal and women's rights causes from the moment she entered the House. I spent two of my four years in this House on the Status of Women Committee, of which she is a compelling advocate. When she speaks, she is listened to with respect because of the very causes she champions. Her Bloc, NDP, and even some Conservative counterparts can confirm this.Shelley Glover maintains that she wasn't speaking about seniors when she made the "best before" quip and I could be persuaded to believe that. But it is the comment itself, made by one woman MP to another, that drags further mud into the House and into this campaign. Whatever was meant by it, it was inappropriate and degrading. We continue to complain that more women don't enter politics because it's too much of a man's game. What to make of the sight of a female politician treating another in such a humiliating fashion? Dignified women from all parties have continued to grace Parliament despite the steep challenges. Glover's comment has now made that grade even steeper.