A Teachable Moment in Politics

If Harper appointed Bob Rae as foreign affairs minister, it would create one of the great teachable moments in Canadian political history. But would the lessons be learned?

Magazine and newspaper columnists specialize in “teachable moments,” those incidents that help change the way people think about things. One of the best practitioners of this alchemy, Maclean’s columnist Andrew Coyne, recently suggested that Stephen Harper appoint Bob Rae as his foreign affairs minister. It’s an appointment that would create one of the great teachable moments in Canadian political history, and for it to work would require that the lessons be learned. So can the case be made?

First of all, could Harper embrace a man with a mind of his own such as Rae? A wag looking at a photo of Harper standing alone noted, “There’s the prime minister with his trusted cabinet members.” There is no doubt over Rae’s interest and accomplishments internationally. But could Harper provide the latitude to represent Canada abroad that Rae would require? Is Harper teachable on this?

Second, could Rae toe the line in critical situations? Rae is a bright man with a deep understanding of international issues, effective in complex situations. He would be likely to keep a conversation or negotiation going, rather than check back for instructions on how to proceed. This would cause conflict with the Harper PMO. Is Rae teachable on this? Third, would Michael Ignatieff fold the tent and acquiesce to Rae’s defection, wishing him well? Or might this be the spark that ignites Ignatieff, whom Canadians seem to have found cold and distant so far. If Coyne is right, and the Ignatieff-Rae relationship is poison, the Liberal leader might have both political and personal reasons to defeat the Conservatives. An inflamed and passionate Ignatieff might be more interesting to Canadians. Vengeance be his. Is Ignatieff teachable?

Fourth, the press would delight in portraying Rae as a political tart as he chose his third political home. “Could he resist the Greens or even the Bloc if this Tory arrangement went belly up?” the media would ask. While some “serious” members of the press, like Coyne, would offer fair comment, they would be bludgeoned into oblivion by the gleeful mob of scribblers only too happy to have something new to mock and trivialize. Is the press teachable on this?

That would be an awful lot of learning for some people who seem pretty satisfied with what they already know.