I was sitting on a bench overlooking the beach at Ward's Island this weekend, when I suddenly thought of Jack Layton.
And how I used to see him all the time cycling around the island on a bicycle made for two.
Back in the giddy days when an orange wave had made many of its supporters, including me, believing that the NDP was only an election away from forming a government.
But as we all know, that never happened.
It may be the most overhyped story to hit the Commons in a long long time. And the most racist.
But the Cons are desperate to find something, anything, to try to hurt the Trudeau government.
So Rona Ambrose really did say this yesterday.
But then of course she should know eh?
As you know the last month has been a horrible one for Sophie Grégoire Trudeau.
Rona Ambrose and her monstrous Cons have gone after her, her children, and her mother in law Margaret.
And Sophie even had to lecture her husband about minding his elbows.
But none of that seemed to bother her last night, when she appeared before her enemies at the Press Gallery dinner.
Well I see that after threatening to punish Justin Trudeau for his role in the so-called elbowgate kerfuffle.
And either suspend him or humiliate him.
Or hopefully hang him.
The Cons and the NDP have decided to drop the idea like a hot potato.
Or pour water on the flames.
I don't think the so-called two-four long weekend has ever come at a better time in the whole history of Canada.
So we can all recover from that act of collective madness that was the elbowgate affair. For it has been a real nightmare.
The Trudeau haters have been howling at the moon, screaming for Justin Trudeau's blood, or just talking crazy.
It's the ugliest picture of the whole so-called elbow gate bumpgate incident.
The Commons is in an uproar, Justin Trudeau has apologized as a decent person should,
And there standing in the gaggle of NDP MPs is Tom Mulcair grinning like a hairy ape.
In some ways it was a stirring sight. Tom Mulcair returning to the House of Commons after his humiliating defeat at the NDP leadership convention.
Standing tall and getting a standing ovation.
Two days after his fellow New Democrats made a dramatic show of backing over him, Mulcair appeared in the House of Commons, apparently determined to carry on.
And when the Speaker called on the member for Outremont to ask the sixth question of the afternoon, Mulcair was acknowledged with a standing ovation, not merely from his typically peppy caucus, but from Conservatives and Liberals as well, a seemingly unanimous expression of appreciation.
But in other ways, the sight couldn't have been sadder or more depressing...
It could only happen in Canada. Or at an NDP leadership convention.
First the party gives the leader the boot.
In a dramatic rejection of Tom Mulcair's time as leader of the federal NDP, delegates gathered in Edmonton for the party's convention have voted in favour of launching a new leadership race.
Delegates voted 52 per cent to 48 per cent to proceed with a leadership election.
In no uncertain terms.
Only to allow him to stay on for two more long years.
They complained about the way Tom Mulcair and his party marginalized them during the last election, or treated them like children.
They complained about the way they were sent out to campaign with a boring, conservative-lite platform no young person could get excited about.
Or for that matter any Canadian of any age.
They wrote an open letter to the party demanding a new direction for the NDP, and a return to its left-wing values.
But sadly when the moment of truth arrived, and the NDP youth wing finally got to meet their leader...
Well as you all know, Tom Mulcair is perched precariously on a narrow plank, over the deep blue sea.
With the big question being, will he be standing or swimming on Monday?
But even as he marches or limps towards his destiny, some of the old guard are hobbling out to defend him.
And this has to be the most ridiculous reason I've ever heard for not firing Mulcair.
I watched Tom Mulcair being interviewed by Peter Mansbridge last night, and I have to say I was not impressed.
He still strikes me as more of a professional politician, than a genuine left-wing leader.
I still don't think he's the NDP's future.
And this only reinforces that belief.
It's looking more and more like Tom Mulcair will survive his leadership review. Or at least get a two year reprieve.
New Democratic Party Leader Tom Mulcair should have two years to rebuild the party’s fortunes before being replaced, but that could come sooner if he does poorly in next week’s leadership review, says one of Canada’s most powerful labor leaders.
But while Jerry Dias, a man who I respect, makes a reasonable case for not firing Mulcair.
I still don't believe that he's the man to renew the NDP...
I haven't written anything about the NDP leadership review, because I know some of my NDP friends are still hurting from their disastrous election result. And I didn't want to re-open any wounds.
And also because I think Justin Trudeau is the best prime minister I have ever known, so it's not that I'm unhappy at the way that election worked out.
But I did vote for the NDP, I care about the future of that party.
So I think it's time to list some reasons why I think Tom Mulcair should go.
It couldn't be a more horrible sight. For me it is the ultimate nightmare. The grubby Stephen Harper, the political porn peddler, in my own province of Quebec.
The province that adopted me, and that I love so much.
Preparing for tonight's French-language TV debate, and a last desperate effort to claw his way to another bloody majority.
By playing the bigot card.
For this latest French-only Con video leaves no doubt about that...
OK. Before I write about my impressions of last night's Globe debate.
I feel I need to make some things clear, in the interests of full disclosure.
I've never been very good at numbers, and I'm not much interested in economics. I took a lot of classes at university but I slept through most of them.
And when my rich uncle tried to lecture me recently in some fancy Bay Street restaurant, about the importance of balancing MY budget and investing wisely, I started nodding off until my head almost hit the table.
Also having injured my knee in a bike accident, I was forced to watch the debate lying on the couch with my foot pointing at the ceiling, which was almost as painful as the show itself.
And when it was over I had a splitting headache.
It's never easy for me to leave Scotland, the idyllic little country where a progressive government has driven the Cons to extinction.
And it wasn't easy for me to blog as I biked from one small fishing village to another with my lap top in my haversack. But I did my best, for this time I couldn't wait to get back.
And this couldn't have been a better homecoming present.
As you know, I wasn't too impressed by the latest Con attack ad aimed at the NDP. And I'm sure Tom Mulcair wasn't either.
Because when Stephen Harper accuses you of being as corrupt as he is, that could be dangerous. You could die LAUGHING.
But then I also hate the never ending Con attack ads aimed at Justin Trudeau.
Because every time I see this ghastly geezer on TV I feel like screaming.
As anyone who has ever read this blog must know, I have tried to be as non-partisan as possible, and stay out of the battles between the Liberals and the NDP.
In the firm belief that all progressives should focus on defeating Stephen Harper and his foul Con regime, who are threatening to destroy the country we love.
So although I believe the NDP is our best hope of defeating the Cons, I have never attacked Justin Trudeau despite the many mistakes he has made. On the contrary, I have defended him over and over again, when the Cons have attacked him.
I like Justin, I think his heart is in the right place.
But as a Canadian and a Quebecer, I can't let this go unchallenged
Well I've got to hand it to Tom Mulcair and Justin Trudeau. Our two cowboys at the Calgary Stampede.
They're timing couldn't be more perfect, or depending on your point of view, more unfortunate.
For on the very same day they vowed they wouldn't attack Stephen Harper like he attacks them.
He attacked BOTH of them like a rabid animal.
A few days ago I wrote a post defending Tom Mulcair from a Maclean's story that claimed that he once asked Stephen Harper for a chance to serve him.
And only turned down the job because he wasn't offered enough money.
Having watched Mulcair in the Quebec National Assembly long before he entered federal politics, something about that story didn't seem right.
And sure enough it seems it was just a grotesque smear.
