Senate appointments are Harper’s gift to Layton

The Globe and Mail:

On several occasions during last month’s election debate, Jack Layton accused Stephen Harper of no longer being the same person he was back in his opposition days. Considering that the Reform-era version of Mr. Harper had rougher edges and much less mainstream appeal than the new one, having “changed” didn’t seem like much of a vulnerability.

But as others have subsequently noted, Mr. Layton was targeting a very specific audience. It wasn’t swing voters, or erstwhile Liberals who wound up switching to the NDP in large numbers. Rather, it was the populist crowd – particularly in Western Canada – that could potentially move from the Conservatives to the NDP if there’s a sense that Mr. Harper has become too entitled during his time in Ottawa.

There were few signs, on election day, that the message took. But Mr. Layton’s efforts are worth keeping in mind, in light of what the Prime Minister has done very early in his new mandate.

If Mr. Harper was looking to signal once and for all that he’s abandoned his populist roots, he could scarcely have done better than Wednesday’s Senate appointments. Little more than two weeks ago, Josée Verner, Larry Smith and Fabian Manning were all rejected by voters in their ridings – the latter two after biding their time with supposedly temporary gigs in the Red Chamber. Now, all three will have the opportunity to serve in Parliament anyway, at what is theoretically a higher level, courtesy of the leader who only a few weeks ago was still extolling the virtues of an elected Senate.

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