Speculation over all the young guns challenging the old party brass boys for the leadership has been rampant of late. Names like Leblanc, McGuinty, Kennedy and Dhalla and being bandied about quite often.
Let me ask you though, why not a guy like Navdeep Bains? I mean, he's a little more qualified than some, no?
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Interesting idea....but I remember what the Tories did to him in the HoC and I doubt they would let up if he was leader. He's a decent guy, smart as hell and it made me sick what they tried to do to him.
Does he speak French? Just curious.
I like him, but is Canada ready yet?
Is United States ready for an African American or a Female?
I think the French thing is definitely a factor in considering someone like Navdeep or Ruby. Besides, in Quebec they're probably like "Navdeep who?"
Plus, there's a much darker reason why Navdeep would not be the one chosen as leader. With the whole mess of the reasonable accommodation debate that went on in La Belle Province, how would francophone Quebecois in the regions outside Montreal be able to warm up to a leader that clearly is of a visible minority?
It's not that he is a visible minority. It's that he is a visibly Conservative religious Sikh. It's just about as likely for him to be elected Prime minister as a Conservative Muslim, Ultra Orthodox Jew or anyone else who is so religious their clothing is actually distinct. I doubt a Jew that wore a yalmulka could get elected Prime Minister and yalmuka wearing Jews have never blown up a Canadian plane. Ujjal Dosanjh Yes. Navdeep No. Sorry James. Won't happen.
I think in the interest of full disclosure, unlike most of his people Navdeep is actually not that conservative as a Sikh. He actually voted in favour of same sex marriage for example.
A guess that rules out Ruby Dhalla then SB. She's a Sikh as well.
I could totally get behind Ujjal Dosanjh. Or does he have Bob Rae's disease?
Well. He's not totally Mr. popular in British Columbia. Don't think he speaks French either.
I didn't say a Sikh couldn't be elected James, and last time I checked Ujjal is a Sikh, but a moderate one. And I am unfamiliar with the exact terminology in the Sikh religion for various levels of religiousity but if you are Menonite that can't wear zippers or shave you won't be elected PM either. He is religiously consevative enough that it dictates his clothing and his hair style. Sorry it won't fly. Ruby isn't skilled enough to be leader. She might run but only to send her delegates to Ignatieff.
I'm also going to make one other thing public. You know as well as I do James that when you do call outs to Sikh houses and women answer, they say they are voting for whoever their husband tells them to vote for. You know Navdeep is a part of that. It's not acceptable and it's not ok to support someone who promotes that for leader.
SB, unless you have any direct information about Navdeep's beliefs and his position on women's issues, other than the fact that he wears some religious regalia, I suggest you don't speculate in public.
If you think you have any facts to back up your comments, I would suggest that you think long and hard about posting them, as I don't think this Blogsite or the person being discussed would tolerate any speculative defamatory statements.
I have no problem with people of religion holding high public office, so long as they keep their religious beliefs private and don't inject them into public policy.
This isn't like a candidate saying that the earth was created 6000 years ago and that dinosaurs co-existed with humans!!!
Navdeep has been under significant pressure to uphold traditional Sikh beliefs like many of our Canadian prime ministers who are/were Catholic.
Like the former Liberal prime ministers, and like McKenna if he decides to run, Navdeep separates his personal religious beliefs with how he represents his constituents.
Unlike many non-religious out there, I admire Navdeep and many of the other religious MPs and former PMs who have been able to do this.
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