The most cowardly political leader in Canadian history?

Former Alberta Wildrose leader Danielle Smith and eight of her caucus colleagues have crossed the floor and joined the Alberta Progressive Conservatives. That is, the Leader of the Official Opposition in Alberta has just joined the government. 

 

We want political leaders to be courageous, bold, and brazen. But, the most important thing is that we chose them to do is to lead. I am amazed at Danielle Smith’s cowardice. 

I assume that Ms. Smith came to conclude that the Progressive Conservatives in Alberta, now lead by Jim Prentice, have fallen into line. She concluded that the PCs have seen the wisdom of Wildrose policy and adopted it, and there is no more substantive role for the Wildrose to play. 

She might be absolutely correct. This does not excuse her decision to cross the floor. It makes it worse.

Leaders are supposed to take their followers along with them. She ought to have had the courage to  lead the entire Wildrose Party into a merger. She should have tried to lead her party to her same conclusions. She would almost certainly have failed but at least she would have lived up to her obligation as leader. Upon losing the confidence of her followers, she could appropriately resign and then join Jim Prentice. 

Danielle Smith reversed the order. She was not confident in her followers. She knew they would not follow her in this new direction and she abandoned them under the cover of darkness. That is very ugly leadership. In strong organizations loyalty flows up and down. The lower ranks follow; the upper ranks lead. The soldiers at the bottom of the apparatus, though, need to be confident that those at the top will stand in for the organization first and foremost. To be chosen as a leader and then abandoned your troops is just appalling cowardice and selfishness. 

I am reminded of the three Liberal MLAs who joined Roy Romanow’s NDP government in Saskatchewan in 1999. Jack Hilson (Liberal turned NDP cabinet member) said, "Our coalition failed because it didn't have the support of the party membership. Liberal supporters … many considered it a betrayal." And, it spelled the end of Liberals in Saskatchewan provincial politics. The Liberals have not elected an MLA since.

What will the consequence of the Alberta defection be? After over 40 years of Conservative governance, it doesn’t seem likely that it will have an effect. Alberta voters are savvy. The soft support of Wildrose will vote for the newly invigorated Jim Prentice Conservatives (like they’re going to vote NDP?). The hardcore Wildrose supporters will dismiss the Alberta nine as disloyal and they will carry on. The difference in Saskatchewan was that Liberal voters had another option – The Saskatchewan Party. Angry Wildrose voters do not. They either stick with Wildrose or they vote Conservative. They have no way to punish to cowardice of their leader.