Much Ado About Party Hopping

This piece puts things into perspective as the new leader of the NDP, Nycole Turmel (replacing Jack Layton, who has another cancer battle ahead), was found to have a history of supporting separatist parties in Quebec. 

Party hopping is a Canadian way of life, so this is not so strange.  And as the piece linked above suggests, we ought not be surprised that a left-wing Quebec pol supported the various separatist parties.  The real problem is not so much Turmel's past but the NDP's present--that the pandering during the election made it unclear where the party really stood on the big questions of Canada: what is the role of the federal government during the next referendum?  Yes, there will be another one some day, but will it be a clear question?  Will the NDP support the Clarity Act, which gives Parliament a say, or is it all about 50% plus one? 

I perhaps reacted too quickly on twitter when the news first came out, but I would like to correct for that.  The NDP does have a heap of Quebeckers, but not all of those folks are sovereigntists.  The party itself has an interest in national unity since the NDP would be a marginal party without Quebec.  So, I am not so worried about the NDP so much.  The PQ?  Absolutely.  Their incentives push entirely towards messing things up (as I see it).  Other than collapsing infrastructure, Quebec is doing pretty well with rising property values, growing economy, decent jobs picture, and so on. 

Anyhow, stuff in August is likely to blow over.  I hope so.