Joe Comuzzi, MP, old time old style liberal down to his fingertips, gets fired from the Liberal caucus.
Comuzzi's going to vote for the budget. He's from Thunder Bay. He's struggled to bring work to his riding all his career. The budget provides 400 new jobs, in the time-honoured old Liberal way. Comuzzi feels he has to go with his lifetime commitment. Bam, Stephane Dion says, Joe, you are not a Liberal.
Memo to caucus (all the caucuses): this is nuts. What do you and your party gain by driving away one more voice and vote? Okay, it makes the leader look like a mad-dog authoritarian, and Canadians all profess to love that look in a party leader.
Seriously, caucus members have to grasp the principles of parliamentary democracy. Caucus membership is determined by the caucus. If the leader is seriously troubled by some insufficiently pliant yes-man on the backbench, let him put it to a secret vote of caucus.
Be interesting to see how Comuzzi would do in that kind of test.
