OTTAWA – By Monday night, the telephones in the offices of Prairie New Democratic Party MPs were ringing.
Constituents were hearing that their MPs had helped hold up back-to-work legislation for the railways and they were angry.
“We’re getting a fair bit of anger that the strike is still going on and that procedures in the House of Commons don’t allow fast action on this,” veteran MP Vic Althouse (Mackenzie, Sask.) said late last week.
“Some of that anger has been directed at us from those who believe the Liberals and the press that we are somehow involved in the blocking.”
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NDP MPs insisted last week they were being unfairly maligned by Liberals trying to play politics before Prairie provincial elections.
It was not a good week for the party’s small parliamentary caucus.
As the Liberal government tried day after day to get all-party agreement for quick passage of a bill to end the strikes and lockouts that had closed down the rail system, the Bloc QuŽbecois refused to co-operate.
At least once, on March 20, the NDP played a supporting role.
When the government asked for unanimous consent to introduce legislation, Winnipeg MP Bill Blaikie shouted: “No.” Later, before he left the Commons, he conferred with BQ MPs to make sure they had the 10 members required to block a subsequent request the process be accelerated.
Request to see bill
Blaikie was angry that he had not been shown a copy of the bill before being asked to put it on a fast-track to approval. He also thought the government was being unfair to the workers.
Althouse joked that it was “a ‘no’ heard across Canada.”
The NDP paid for it the rest of the week as Liberal MPs painted them as part of the reason the damaging work stoppage lasted more than a week.
Liberal MPs took great delight in daily denunciations of the NDP.
Agriculture minister Ralph Goodale issued a statement alleging “a bizarre alliance” between the NDP and the BQ.
Even prime minister Jean ChrŽtien got into the act March 21, noting the NDP had denied unanimous consent. “Western farmers know that we are thinking of their best interests in settling this strike rapidly.”
The NDP counter-attacked by accusing the Liberals of arrogance and deceit. John Solomon (Regina-Qu’Appelle) said Goodale was trying to deflect attention from his own poor performance in protecting western interests.
“The minister has been gutless in this issue and he has been deceitful by telling the public it is an NDP problem,” he said.
Blaikie said he was simply trying to get some parliamentary respect – a chance to see the bill and an opportunity to offer some suggestions for amendment.
He insisted it was a fight between the Liberals and the BQ.
