Pierre Gauthier = Stéphane Dion: Why Mulcair and the NDP owe the Liberal MP big

When Montreal Canadiens owner Geoff Molson finally fired GM Pierre Gauthier last week and also bid adieu to special advisor Bob Gainey, there is no question that the horrible acquisition of overpaid forward Scott Gomez from the New York Rangers contributed to some long-term damage for the franchise.

Gainey claimed at the time that he signed Gomez – whose contract of $7.3 million a season still has two more years to go – in order to show other top-notch players that the Habs were serious about making the team better.  Gauthier was his assistant at the time. So they were both complicit.

Gainey was a star player for the Habs and overall not a horrible GM. But he will forever be remembered and embarrassed for the Gomez deal. So who is his equivalent in politics? Why Stéphane Dion, the federal Liberal MP for the riding of St. Laurent Cartierville. Dion too inflicted permanent damage to his party running for the leadership, mysteriously winning and then getting creamed by the Tories in the 2008 general election.

So who was Dion’s Scott Gomez? The name is Jocelyn Coulon and if it were not for Dion’s horrible lack of judgment, the New Democratic Party would not have swept Quebec in the last election a year ago nor would Thomas Mulcair be the leader or possibly even an NDP.

Come back five years with me to the by-election which  gave Mulcair his Outremont seat. Jean Lapierre had resigned as Member of Parliament for the riding. In one of the many questionable moves he made as  leader,  Dion ignored efforts by supporters of Justin Trudeau to get the Grit nomination. This should have been the logical thing to do. Trudeau lived in the riding, was the son of this country’s most distinguished prime ministers and a clear slam dunk to win.

I recall talking to Mulcair a few months before a by-election was called. He had just joined the NDP and I asked him whether he would consider running in Outremont. Mulcair seemed set on waiting for the next federal election and seeking a seat in one of the Laval districts, where he had represented the provincial Liberals. Now remember, at this time  only one Quebecer – Phil Edmunston – had ever been voted in to Parliament for the NDP in a by-election.

In his infinite wisdom Dion sidestepped the Trudeau option and chose journalist Coulon to carry the Liberal banner. Mulcair, probably thinking that a battle with  Trudeau would be fruitless, had stayed out of the by-election speculation. But once the politically inexperienced Coulon was thrown into the fray he declared his candidacy.

Coulon was a disaster from the get go. Outremont is home to a vocal Hassidic Jewish community of several thousand. When B’nai Brith came out with a demand to Dion to remove his so-called “star candidate” Coulon because of his past stance on Israel, Mulcair started to gain traction.

B’nai Brith stated that Coulon, a political scientist and former journalist, had a "well-documented anti-Israel bias," including sympathy for Hamas, that is "out of step with current Liberal policy."   While Coulon arguing that he was a proponent of healthy debate, not of anti-Israel sentiment, it really did not matter. B’nai Brith had the goods on him.  They cited one opinion piece, dated Feb. 22, 2006, in which he wrote that Hamas wasn’t  just a terrorist organization, but a social and political movement that won the Palestinian elections because of its commitment to fight corruption and help people — and the international community should not isolate it.

Muclair won the 2007  by-election handily and raced to victory again in general votes in 2008 and 2011. The Orange Wave which hit Quebec a year ago, with 58 seats going to the NDP, would never have happened if not for Mulcair’s presence. Party members did the sensible thing by choosing him as leader for the road to power in three and half years indeed starts in Quebec. It is also important to keep the Bloc Québecois on the sidelines. The NDP owes a debt of gratitude to Dion, Coulon and yes, B’nai Brith Canada. It would be most fitting  in the 2015 federal election if the NDP runs a strong candidate in the St. Laurent-Cartierville District and bid good-bye to Dion, the true architect of the NDP success story.

Here is a clip from Mulcair's 2007 by-election victory and his predecessor, Jack Layton:

Here is Dion's embarrassing interview with CTV:

Federal Election: Why NDP owes Dion and who will be in the Senate?

If NDP leader Jack Layton wants to extend a big thank you to one of the true inspirations for his big Orange machine’s incredible sweep in Quebec, it is St. Laurent-Cartierville MP Stéphane Dion. He was the leader of the Liberal Party in 2007 when a by-election was called in the longtime Liberal stronghold of Outremont to replace Jean Lapierre, who had returned to broadcasting.

Justin Trudeau wanted the nomination. But Dion had other ideas. Instead he chose journalist Jocelyn Coulon. Seeing an opportunity, the NDP parachuted former provincial cabinet minister Thomas Mulcair in the mix. Coulon was a total train wreck and Mulcair ended up becoming the NDP’s only MP. He won the riding again a year later and of course trounced to victory on Monday. Trudeau ended up seeking a hard fought nomination in the tough Papineau riding, which was held by the Bloc Quebecois. He defeated incumbent Viviane Barbot two and a half years ago and did so again on Monday.

Why did Layton and the NDP catch fire in Quebec? There are many reasons, but the presence of Mulcair is one huge reason. I can say with almost certainty that had Dion allowed Trudeau to run in Outremont, Mulcair would have sat out that by-election and waited for the 2008 general election.

Justin recognizes that he did not choose an easy constituency. He rightfully should have been handed the Outremont riding nomination for the 2007 by-election. Instead, then party leader Stéphane Dion chose journalist Jocelyn Coulon instead. Coulon was no match for Thomas Mulcair, who made history for the NDP by taking the riding. I remember speaking to Mulcair a few months earlier and Outremont was a long shot for him at the time. Had Trudeau run there, it is highly likely Mulcair would not have thrown his hat in the ring.

Senate Talk: There is no doubt now who is running this country. It is Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the Conservative Party of Canada, with majorities in the House of Commons and the Senate. The earliest we will go the polls again federally will be the spring of 2015. Besides appointing a new cabinet, Harper also has some work to do to boost his Senate majority. The Tories have 52 Senators, compared to 46 for the Liberals, two representing the old Progressive Conservative banner and two independents. There are three vacant seats, two in Quebec and one in Newfoundland and Labrador. The Senate possesses all of the powers of the House of Commons except that of initiating financial legislation.

Will he appoint a Senator from Montreal to the cabinet? Leo Housakos would be an excellent choice. Harper has done this before when former Senator Michael Fortier was appointed Minister of International Trade and then Minister of Public Works and Government Services. It would be nice to see Harper reward some of his defeated candidates in Montreal with a Senate appointment: Saulie Zajdel, Agop Evereklian and Neil Drabkin come to mind.

The Next Elections: When will Quebecers next go to the polls? A provincial election must be called no later than December 9, 2013. However, that would mark five years to the day Jean Charest’s Liberals won the last vote. Incumbent parties usually pull the switch after four years. If Charest steps down before the end of his mandate, which most observers expect him to do, then the timing will depend upon when he makes such a move and who succeeds him. When Daniel Johnson assumed the leadership of the provincial Liberals from Robert Bourassa in 1994 and became premier he stretched the mandate of his party in power. Raymond Bachand or Jean-Marc Fournier, seen to be the front runners to succeed Charest, could do the same thing. Municipal elections will take place on November 3, 2013. School board elections could be piggybacked with them on the same day and time.