The fact that Mr. Rebagliati has announced his candidacy in a riding where it has been extremely difficult to recruit candidates with a pulse (see Whitby-Oshawa) is another example of Michael Ignatieff’s success in the Liberal leadership. Taking on a cabinet minister is gutsy but Ross Rebagliati’s decision is far less Quixotic than Elizabeth May’s riding shopping has been. Stockwell Day may be the only Conservative I actually like. Minister Day is arguably the only competent member of Stephen Harper’s government. Unfortunately, like Gilles Duceppe, Mr. Day is in the wrong party.
It is a popular assumption that incumbency, especially Cabinet-member incumbency, leads to automatic victory. That is not the case as the riding may vote for a candidate out of habit and if a fresh face runs for an opposing party and the government fails as badly as Stephen Harper’s has, is and will continue to, then no one is safe. Mr. Day will also spend a portion of the next election out of the riding campaigning with Stephen Harper which gives the Liberal Olympian additional strength. I stand but my assertion that the LPC can learn a lot from David and Goliath.
Ross Rebagliati won a Gold Medal in Snowboarding in the 1998 Winter Olympics held in Nagano, Japan. Rebagliati had his medal taken away from him when trace amounts of THC were found in his system, then it was given back after his appeal and the Olympic Committee’s declaration that marijuana was not a performance-enhancing drug. He maintains to this day that the THC came from second-hand cannabis smoke. When asked about the marijuana issue, Rebagliati said that he wants to get through the nomination process before he wades into any debates. He added: “I don’t want to become the ‘one issue’ guy.”
It is perfectly alright for Ross Rebagliati to avoid the issue of Cannabis Legalization until after securing the Liberal nomination but he cannot and should not refrain for discussing marijuana in the very near future. Ross Rebagliati won in the name of this awesome country; he is a hero. He also apparently has no problem with other people smoking cannabis. As a celebrity entering politics he has the perfect platform to advocate for legalization. The Conservative Party of Canada has made it shameful in this country to argue a perfectly reasonable policy position. Ross Rebagliati can make the issue mainstream. This would give the Liberals an advantage on the issue of crime as the Liberal Party’s policies are sensible but the debate is dominated by lies and accepted truths.
Ross Rebagliati won a Goal Medal with all the world watching, he’s now entering politics and taking on a politician with a record of electoral success in the riding, what does he have to fear?
