Why Can't Elizabeth May Be Honest With Canadians?

Green leader has interesting definition of "endorsement"

Elizabeth May didn't endorse Stephane Dion. Elizabeth May won't endorse Stephane Dion. Elizabeth May would never endorse Stephane Dion.

At least, that's reality according to Elizabeth May.

But those Canadians who follow politics -- and are blessed with a long-term memory exceeding that of a gnat -- know very differently. Elizabeth May did endorse Stephane Dion.

"I haven't endorsed Mr. Dion. I've consistently said that I am my first choice for prime minister," May recently insisted.

Of course, the truth is very different.

May's endorsement of Dion started shortly after striking her non-aggression pact with the Liberal leader.

"We recognize that a government in which Stephane Dion served as Prime Minister could work well with a Green caucus of MPs, led by Elizabeth May, committed to action on climate change," she said.

"Yes, Stephane Dion would like to see me in the House of Commons and I think that he should be Prime Minister," May said during a later interview, then adding her qualifier: "Of course, I'm my first choice for prime minister but he'd be very good as second choice."

But here's the thing: Elizabeth May isn't going to be Prime Minister. In fact, her party would be lucky to actually elect a single MP.

In her heart of hearts, Elizabeth May knows this. At the very least, she knows she won't be PM.

May's reasoning in this particular matter is nothing short of pervasively specious. Her "non-endorsement" of Stephane Dion is based on a qualifier that isn't even a remote possibility.

So, with May set to participate in the televised leaders' debate despite her realistically having no business being there, the question on the minds of Canadian voters has to be this:

Why can't Elizabeth May just be honest with Canadian voters?

As previously noted, May's justification for her non-aggression pact with Stephane Dion -- "leader's courtesy" -- was fundamentally dishonest, with no historical precedent applicable to a general election, nor to a riding which her party doesn't currently represent. Nor was the so-called "leader's courtesy" offered or extended to any other party leader.

When May insists she would never act as a proxy for Stephane Dion in the televised debate, how does she honestly expect Canadians to believe her considering the already-established record of electoral collusion between the two parties?

At least now the pressure will be on May to actually demonstrate her -- and her party's -- independence from Dion and the Liberals by not acting as such during the debate.