So Much For Sober Second Thought

It seems Mike Duffy doesn’t know why he was appointed to the Senate. The Prime Minister’s move to fill the 18 Senate positions on Dec. 23 came as a slight embarrassment to the man who promised senate reforms. It was a move born of desperation when it looked like it was possible the Conservatives would lose the Government. Instead of allowing the Liberals (or the NDP’s) to get their hands on any of the empty seats, the PM decided to accept the lesser of two evils (from his perspective) and fill them himself.

When Senator Duffy, along with 17 others, accepted the deal, there were caveats. The newly appointed Senators would have to give up their seats “if and when” the Senate reforms actually passed. The new Senators were meant to be pylons, not make waves. The only reason the new senators are accepting their Senator wages is so they can occupy the seats until the PM can appoint more elected Senators. The last thing the PM needed/wanted was appointees who would cause problems, political strife or issues in the House of sober second thought.

But, Mike Duffy missed the memo. Recently he’s been in the hot seat for making regrettable comments. Well, at least they should be regrettable.

Senator Duffy, a PEI representative, wanted to express concerns over his Premier’s alliance with Nfld/Lab Premier Danny Williams. His point isn’t entirely misguided. He’s calling on the provinces to work with the federal government to get through these tough times.

Senator Duffy, a former TV personality, attempted to “grab the public’s attention” by expressing his views in a metaphor. He accused PEI Premier Robert Ghiz of getting into bed with Premier Danny Willams. If he’d stopped there, his metaphor wouldn’t be anything new.

The “getting into bed” metaphor is often used to refer to situations where two entities (or people) are closer than they should be. In fact, the Conservatives are often accused of “getting into bed” with oil corporations for example.

I’m not sure why the thought of two Atlantic Premiers allying with each other to seek common goals is so repugnant to Senator Duffy, but that’s not the point. He went further to say when two men get into bed with each other, “one of them is going to get the shaft and I can assure you it won’t be Danny Williams.”

The off-colour comment goes beyond distastefully graphic. Senator Duffy’s comment sails into homophobic and hateful territory without care for the troubling waters ahead. Although Senator Duffy withdrew his comments, he stubbornly refused to apologize for them. He stated: “I don’t think, personally, there’s anything wrong with them.” His blatantly negative reference to gay sexuality illustrates either stupid ignorance or designed intolerance. The “metaphor” clearly conveys a disdain for intimate gay relationships. It asserts the result of such a pairing can only end in undesirable consequences.

In a ridiculous attempt to stifle media response to the comments, Senator Duffy told reporters to “give it a rest.” He chastised reporters for discussing his comments and not the real issues. So, on the one hand Duffy defends his comments by admonishing he only said them to gain public interest in his views. On the other hand, he expresses disappointment that his comments have gained so much attention.

It’s ironic that this is the same person who sued Frank magazine for its satirical representation him. He claimed that Frank’s pieces cost him his shot at the Order of Canada. I would have figured that someone who’s so sensitive to other’s public expressions might be more sensitive himself.

While I certainly understand the PM’s decision to fill the Senate before he lost his chance, I’m not sure I’ll ever fully understand his decision to appoint Mike Duffy. For PM Harper’s opponents, the powder keg Duffy will likely prove to be the gift that keeps on giving.