The federal NDP were quick to castigate MP Bruce Hyer for crossing the floor and joining the Green Party.
MP Charlie Angus said Hyer was betraying the very voters who put him in office and only made the jump for self-serving reasons.
Like many others with a partisan piece of the pie in the race, Angus demanded an immediate byelection to let the voters have their say.
Crossing the floor, though relatively rare in Canadian politics, is a necessary evil. What if an MP is kicked out of caucus??Should they be forced to sit as independents by bullying party leaders?
Unlike Belinda Stronach, who left the Conservatives in 2005 to join the Liberal prime minister Paul Martin’s cabinet in a classic case of political opportunism, Hyer left the NDP on principle.
Whipped by party leaders on the long-gun registry, Hyer voted with the voice of his constituents, siding with he Conservatives in favour of abolishing the controversial law.
After sitting as an independent since April 2012, Hyer decided he could be more effective and have access to more resources as a member of a party. He chose Green, after discussing both a return to the NDP and switching to the Liberals.
Voters will have the final say in 2015, when Hyer runs under the?Green Party banner. And he knows he’s a long-shot to win again. Until then, Thunder?Bay-Superior North won’t go up in flames.
