Let’s be clear about one thing regarding Elizabeth May’s Ottawa Press Gallery outburst: it was all about her.
One of the biggest issues with the Green Party, not just May but Adam Olsen as well, is that the party becomes a platform for the leader, rather than a platform for important issues and policies. Case in point: at the Press Gallery goof, Elizabeth hurled insults at the Conservative cabinet (I thought she was against attack style politics) and then apologized, calling the whole thing a poorly planned comedy routine and then telling the media how tired she is.
I’m not sure, as someone who spent years writing letters calling on the federal government to support Omar Khadr and get him released, how he or his family would feel about his plight being used as fodder for a failed comedy routine.
Despite apologizing, May fails to take full accountability for her actions. Trying to explain your way out of a situation isn’t taking responsibility. It’s called making excuses.
With what I’ve seen of May, both online through her surrogates and in public, she really isn’t that different from the politicians she has been castigating all these years.
When you become the priority instead of the cause you are advocating for, it’s time to take a step back and re-examine whether or not you are doing more harm than good.
Sue Stroud, Brentwood Bay