Megan Leslie on Ideology, the NDP, Jack Layton
MP for Halifax Discusses the Party, the Leadership, and the Platform
May 31, 2009
S101 : So, why did you make the decision to join with the New Democrat as opposed to any other party and why do you feel that they are the right home for you?
Megan Leslie : The New Democrats, well – it has to do with values and ideology. I am not necessarily the world's most partisan New Democrat, but I am a committed social democrat.
I have a value system of believing in social democracy and the NDP best fits that ideology. So, it has more to do with shared values then with having an orange card in my wallet.
S101 : In the same vein, what New Democrat policies do you think are the strongest? What elements really draw you to the NDP and conversely, what policies do you tend to disagree with them on?
Megan Leslie : I think the NDP has incredibly strong environmental policies. They've been talking about climate change in the House of Commons for over 15 years. We need a new automotive and industrial strategy, but it's interesting because I have people say to me, "You know, I just really want the NDP to get back to being really strong on the environment and environmental policies."
My response is always something like, "Well, it's not like our policies go away! We've always been there on those issues, but those issues may not always be in the media spotlight."
It just makes me laugh a little when I think about it, but I am really drawn to their environmental and social position.
This should be clear – Jack Layton is an environmentalist, he is a poverty activist, and he's been really strong when it comes to other issues, especially housing, as a real passion for him as well. Those are probably the two policies or areas of our position that resonate the most with me.
For policies that I don't agree with, I'm hard pressed to think of any thus far. I mean, we all have our areas of expertise, right? I haven't come across a situation as of yet where I thought, "We're doing the wrong thing here."
Which I guess is a bit of a blessing. So far, so good!
S101 : Speaking of Jack Layton, how do you feel about Mr. Layton and tell us a little bit more about him.
Megan Leslie : I really admire him. Like I said, he is a very committed housing advocate, he's a very committed environmental advocate, which are the two areas that really resonate with me. He's a very good leader for caucus because he's quite good at building consensus. I mean, you think about if you had to lead any group of MP's – so you've got 37 MP's in the room – it doesn't even matter what party they are from. The chances are, they've all been elected, chances are that they'll all have pretty strong personalities!
Ha ha! So how do you manage that? How do you get people to agree, how do you manage the bold and sometimes bullish personalities on each side, make people feel valued but also reach difficult compromise?
So, it's remarkable in our caucus meetings. I find it really a treat to watch him manage that and lead us. We have these robust discussions and usually we can come to some kind of a consensus. If we don't, he's the leader and he makes the decision.
S101 : So, I guess my last question to you is, how do you feel that your term is going and what do you feel are your greatest accomplishments?
Megan Leslie : You know, it's really challenging to be a new MP, it's very very challenging. You're thrown in head first, you are just expected *poof* to be an MP, right? You get elected and all of a sudden, you are the elected representative. It's not like, "oh I'm an associate MP", or "I'm in my probationary period – don't expect too much from me". You are simply the MP.
That's a lot of pressure and there's a ton of issues to face right out of the gate. So, it's been an incredibly challenging 6 months.
I was actually chatting with Jack recently and he asked me how are things going, and I said, "You know what? A couple of weeks ago I turned this corner and I just felt like the world is my oyster here; I really have firm footing on a lot of different issues and I'm feeling really good about the work that I've been doing."
He said, " Yep, 6 months. That's about the time when it really starts to come together."
I feel really good to be at that point.
Something else that I just feel incredible about is this : I had no idea how exhilarating, rewarding, gratifying it would be to stand up in the House of Commons and say,
"No, actually, that's not right!", "This is the thing that we are forgetting.", or "This is the group of people that we are failing."
Or it could be as simple as standing up and talking about the concerns of Halifax or Spryfield or anywhere else in my riding. The ability to simply to stand up and just say what it is you believe in is a gift.
It's incredible to do that, it's a real privilege and it feels really wonderful.
If no one is talking about these issues, then I will, and that ability is empowering. That's not my greatest accomplishment perhaps but its the thing that makes me happy to be a Member of Parliament.
Other Articles Related to this Interview
- Megan Leslie on Mandatory Minimum Sentencing, Bill C -15, "Four Pillar Approach"
- Megan Leslie on Progressive Values, Being a "Rookie", Motivations
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