Who is Stéphane Dion?

Editorial

As television goes, this was live action at its finest. For political junkies, it was the Grey Cup, the Oscars and sweeps week rolled into one. In a lifetime of political conventions, this was one of the most dramatic. For the Liberal party, it was the most unscripted, unpredictable convention since 1968. (Remember, the meet-up that elected Paul Martin delivered the party to him with a Soviet-style majority, thanks to Martin's decades of behind-the-scenes positioning and manipulation.)

The election of Stéphane Dion was not a total surprise. Polls had indicated that he was the second choice of many and, in a convention as divided as this one, second choice is a very good place to be.

As is often the case in unexpected political victories, the scrutiny after the election can be greater than the scrutiny before. Michael Ignatieff and Bob Rae had their positions on issues critiqued meticulously during the campaign; Dion and the others, less so.

For Jewish Canadians, Dion is not a fully known quantity. His portfolios have not tended to impact on multicultural communities directly. (Intergovernmental affairs and environment tend to impact all Canadians similarly.)

Dion was critical of Israel during the summer war in Lebanon, which is his right, but his contention that Canada is a good friend of Israel and that the friendship is based on "frankness" rang a bit hollow.

Dion said that "to be a good friend of Israel this summer was to request a ceasefire right away." Dion was wrong. Such a course has not been characteristic of a good friend, but of a fair-weather friend. It is a phenomenon of the Middle East conflict and of the world's response to it that Israel's enemies are given almost impunity in world opinion, but when Israel reacts in a defensive way, the world demands a ceasefire.

The Liberal party has been accused of dithering and nowhere has this been more evident than in its policy toward the Middle East. In the last several years, Liberal governments have spoken out of both sides of their mouths on Israel.

On the other hand, Dion was quick to condemn the rash assertion by Ignatieff at the time that Israel perpetrated war crimes at Qana. Dion said Ignatieff should produce evidence or withdraw his accusation. This could have been Dion's principles speaking – or it could have been politics.

It is worth noting that, during the convention's dramatic twists, Thornhill, Ont., MP Susan Kadis and former leadership candidate Joe Volpe moved to Dion. These have been two of the most vocal friends of Israel in Parliament, particularly in the case of Kadis, who resigned as a senior Ignatieff campaign leader over the candidate's statements against Israel. One assumes she would have assured herself before endorsing him that Dion's position toward Israel is balanced, if not overwhelmingly positive.

At a Jewish book festival event recently, author Sid Tafler noted that Jews tend to be very wary of sudden rises in nationalist sentiment, one of the reasons he said he felt "invited" to leave Quebec. From the perspective of Quebec nationalism – and the Jewish community's almost unanimous federalist bent – Dion's victory is a good sign. Dion has been one of the most fervent and unequivocating federalists in recent Canadian history. The Clarity Act, which infuriates separatists because it demands a clear question on the most crucial issue facing our country, was Dion's baby.

Moreover, Dion demonstrated a proactive approach on this issue; rare for a Canadian politician. He did not wait for the separatist onslaught in order to defend Canada, but issued a series of scathing letters contesting successive anti-Canadian positions by Quebec provincial leaders.

Most important of all, probably, is Dion's prioritizing of environmental issues. His work on the environment portfolio was one of the last Liberal government's shining achievements. Progress against global warming is a long-range effort, but Dion's insistence that Canada take seriously its legitimate role as custodian of seven per cent of the world's land and 10 per cent of its fresh water is probably the most important policy commitment a politician can make. It terms of tikkun olam, repair of the world, there can be no more literal or essential responsibility for our leaders. Without a sustainable environment, nothing else will matter.

Also significant is Dion's reputation as a clean politician. Though part of the Quebec caucus in the last Liberal government, Dion appears to have been uninvolved with and unscathed by the unsavory events that took place. He has a reputation as an honest politician and so scandal is one thing we can hopefully put behind us as a country.

Time will tell what kind of a leader Dion will make or if he will become prime minister. But his come-from-behind victory over the weekend should warn Stephen Harper not to underestimate Stéphane Dion.

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