I’ve never had much respect for Liberal Defence Critic Dennis Coderre. He’s always struck me as a useless opportunistic loud-mouthed bulldog, and the recent Shane Doan affair, of which he was the principal instigator, has only reinforced my point of view.
He actually used to be quite an effective parliamentarian while the Liberals were still in government. Not that he was an exceptional minister or a cunning debater, but his bass voice and pugnacity made him an important player on the Chrétien and Martin teams.
But the new Liberal boss is Stéphane Dion, and that changes everything!
The rough and tough Coderre doesn’t have much to contribute to a Liberal leader attempting to sell Canadians on his sincerity and principle. It’s difficult for Dion to look principled when he his own Defence Critic calls Gordon O’Connor an arms dealer (he actually wasn’t too far off the mark on in particular case, but it’s still not appropriate to use such language on Parliament Hill).
Even worse, Coderre has a well known habit of causing mayhem in Question Period by yelling foul quips to members from across the floor during debate.
Josée Verner, The Minister of International Cooperation, la Francophonie and Official Languages brought that point home in Question Period when she told the house: “The member for Bourassa Coderre) keeps making comments. For quite some time now, he has been showing this House that he speaks three languages: the French language, the English language and the dirty language.”
To make matters worse for Dion, Coderre isn’t the only one –albeit the most disgusting. The Liberals have a stack of trouble making backbenchers whose only contribution to Parliament seem to be the undermining of their own leader’s credibility.
This all has to end now if Dion is serious about getting his image sorted out. I’m sorry, but you don’t have a hope of looking principled when your own MPs have made a habit of engaging in shameful behaviour.
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