Merge talk premature

Area federal politicians say it is far too early to consider a merger between the New Democratic Party and the Liberal Party of Canada.

“I don’t think it’s an issue at the moment,” said MP John Rafferty (NDP, Thunder Bay-Rainy River). “I don’t think there’s going to be much talk about that, at least not in the near future.”
 
Fellow MP Bruce Hyer (NDP, Thunder Bay-Superior North) agreed that it’s premature to talk about a merger of the two left-of-centre parties and said it’s something to possibly consider a year or so from now.

“First, there are other priorities,” he said. “I think the Liberals really need to decide who they are and what they really want to stand for. After they’ve done that … then maybe we’ll be ready to talk about how to best work effectively with them.”

Hyer added that the parties can work just as well together as two separate political identities as they can as one.
 
“There are no obstacles to voting together, thinking together and having creative ideas together,” he said.

Liberal candidate Yves Fricot, who came third in last Monday’s election race in Thunder Bay-Superior North, said he hasn’t heard anything about a possible merger other than rumblings in national press and said he believes it’s much too early to even consider the idea.

“We, as Liberals, are focused on how we rebuild our party – what are the lessons to be learned both for today and what are the lessons in the long run because the country is going to be very different four years from now,” he said.

The NDP and Liberals are parties with very different histories and backgrounds, Fricot added.

For now, both Hyer and Rafferty said the task at hand is passing legislation that’s good for Canadians, particularly those in Northwestern Ontario.

“It will be our task to make sure that issues like seniors, health care, jobs, environment, transportation, passenger rail…all the things we promised in our platform, we continue to try to get the government focused on,” said Hyer.