I’ve been following the marathon debates on forcing the locked out Canada Post workers back to work on the CBC page live feed since last night and observing the debates on Twitter. The rookie NDP MPs have been actively participating and have, in my opinion, all been quite articulate. Sure some of them had some scripts pre-written for them and sure they’re getting help from some senior NDP MPs. This is a filibuster, what better chance for them to cut their teeth? To gain experience in parliamentary debate? They all know the difference between lockouts and strikes and are continuously reminding the Harpercons, who clearly don’t seem to get it or they do and either don’t want to get it, or worse, don’t want Canadians to get it. Ruth-Ellen Brosseau of Berthier-Maskinonge, gets it.
I may not be a fan of the NDP, in fact, I’ve been pretty angry with them as of late, but I do wholeheartedly defend their actions regarding the defense of Canada Post and their workers right now. I also am tired of the Ruth-Ellen bashing.
She could’ve taken the easy way out and resigned her seat amidst the controversy as soon as the election was over. She could’ve gone into hiding–permanently. She didn’t. She rode it out. But I digress.
Ruth-Ellen Brosseau to this day, is still being referred to as Vegas girl. The joke is old, folks. Move on. Folks just mocked her speech on Twitter. Many thought it was pre-scripted. Perhaps some of it was. However, Ruth-Ellen Brosseau, out of many of those MPs would know more about the working class than they would. Remember, she was a earning a living, supporting herself and her child as a bartender, a blue collar position, where one is on their feet for more than eight hours at a time more often than not. Folks mock her simple language. What the hell is that all about? Didn’t the Harpercons and their idiot cheerleaders keep hammering the Liberals and the NDP for being ‘elitist’ lefties? Didn’t they accuse the Liberal leader Iggy and varying MPs of different stripes of not being able to connect with the Timmy Horton’s crowd because they were too educated? Too ‘elitist’? Well, isn’t someone like Ruth-Ellen Brosseau anything but? Isn’t her simple language something that average working class Canadians can connect to? Sure she struggled after Robbie Nicholson pounced, he, who would love to make breathing illegal, chalk it to inexperience. Didn’t most politicians as rookies struggle when debating at some point or another? Were they all polished the first time they opened their mouths? What’s the solution? To keep Ruth-Ellen Brosseau somewhere locked up? To keep her seen and not heard? How the hell is she supposed to learn how to do her job if she doesn’t actually do it?
Also, let it go. For the last time, she won her seat, fair and square. Let her at least try to earn the respect of her colleagues and constituents. Let her try to show them that she earned their vote and perhaps earn their vote in the next election.
For those who say that Quebecers are stupid for having voted for unknown candidates simply because they wanted change or went for the Jack wave is no dumber than the rest of the country voting for the Harpercons in droves simply because I”I don’t want to go back to the polls ever again!” (imagine my mocking whiny tone as I just typed that). Nevermind how Stevie and his puppets will ruin the country, anything to never go to the big bad scary polls again! Talk about dumb!
Yes, Ruth-Ellen Brosseau knows the difference between a lockout and a strike. Minister of labour, Lisa Raitt, doesn’t even bother to distinguish between the two. I guess it just ain’t ‘sexy’ enough for her.