Sarnia-Lambton-Bkejwanong MP Marilyn Gladu could be facing a (likely doomed to fail) legal challenge from the very people she represents.
Gladu, who crossed the floor from the federal Conservative Party to the Liberals, helping Premier Mark Carney to establish his majority government, is the target of a would-be class-action lawsuit thanks to her political change of heart.
Gladu, now firmly in the Liberal camp if you follow what she has said (and boy have her constituents done that if you are to believe the website they set up to sue her) – having toed the party line on abortion, the COVID convoy, conversion therapy and, ironically enough, floor-crossing.
And while I feel for the people of Sarnia-Lambton-Bkejwanong, it needs to be said – this is what Canadians have wanted.
Through our voting, through our rhetoric, through our political processes, we have slowly changed gears in this country from voting for a person to represent us to voting for the binder they hold.
Whether it’s because you feel you need to vote for a specific party to get things done, or you’re one of those people who proudly (and kind of stupidly) claim you vote one way or another because your parents did, you have created a situation where we don’t vote for people anymore – we vote for parties.
This change has happened within my life time. I’ve seen Liberals elected (and re-elected) who stood in defense of gun rights. I’ve seen Conservatives elected who stood against Conversion Therapy (unfortunately not our local representative). I’ve seen people who want to represent the ridings in the communities Midwestern Newspapers cover stand up for what they believe in and get elected because of it.
However, since I’ve been of voting age – say a couple decades and change – I’ve seen that thrown out the window in favour of voting for a party platform instead of the person, and that doesn’t help anyone around here.
Why? Because we sell ourselves short.
When it comes time for funding, we know where it goes first – Toronto. And why does it go there? Well it could be because provincial and federal leaders come from there or it could be because GTA ridings seem to flip-flop more often than so-called strongholds like our local ridings.
Regardless of the reason – when Canadians vote for someone because of the party they represent instead of the values they hold dear, they aren’t voting for long-term success, just short-term solutions.
Gladu proved that by switching political parties, stances and beliefs when switching over to Carney and trading her blue binder for a red one.
And, despite the calls for a class-action lawsuit, it’s completely legal to cross the floor. It’s likely not a good way to get re-elected, especially in places that have long stood for the Conservatives, but its legal.
So my apologies to the voters of Sarnia-Lambton-Bkejwanong – as I say to my daughter when she decides to cover her mattress in stuffed animals minutes before bedtime – you made your bed in voting in Gladu and, until the next federal election, you have to lie in it.
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Denny Scott is a reporter with Midwestern Newspapers. He can be reached at dscott@midwesternnewspapers.com
