Article content Independent MLA Elizabeth Smith-McCrossin, right, took part in a discussion on partisan politics at Acadia University late last month. Newly independent MLA Becky Druhan also took part in the event while professor Alex Marland moderated. Photo by Wendy ElliottArticle contentFellow independent MLA Elizabeth Smith-McCrossin, who represents Cumberland North, also spoke with political science professor Alex Marland about partisan politics. Both women said it needs to be safe for individuals to speak up, especially if they disagree with a situation.Article content“Obviously in a respectful way, but we are all better off when we have that kind of culture,” Smith-McCrossin said.Article contentShe was forced out of the Conservative caucus four years ago by Premier Tim Houston after refusing to apologize for her connection to a blockade of the Trans-Canada Highway in her riding during the COVID-19 pandemic.Article contentSubsequently Smith-McCrossin has been elected twice as an independent and she fiercely aims to be true to her people.Article contentA former nurse, she is advocating for hospital emergency departments to re-open in her constituency.Article contentHer view is that in a true democracy power should not be a centralized in one office. The positive response of her constituents when she stood up for them was heartening, Smith-McCrossin said.Article contentArticle contentDuring the discussion, both women called for greater efforts by politicians to engage in civil discourse.Article contentSmith-McCrossin described the women in the NDP caucus as rock stars.Article contentDruhan added that a tone shift must begin with party leaders, whether it’s at the caucus table behind closed doors, or in public “because it needs to be a demonstration for everybody else about how we can do this.”Article contentShe added: “That’s fundamentally what democracy is.”Article contentDruhan shared an anecdote about the communication training she and other PC MLAs received from the party after the 2021 election. They were told, she said, to know ‘who the enemy was.’Article contentThe essence was that, “every story should have an enemy, and to make sure that you knew who the enemy was when you were making your plans for communicating about the story.”Article contentArticle contentShe said that spoke volumes.Article content“I truly do not believe that every story has an enemy. In fact, most stories don’t have an enemy; most stories have complexity but not enemies,” Druhan said.Article contentA lawyer by training, Druhan had no political experience when she ran for election in 2021. While she has no difficulty disagreeing, she tries to do it in a constructive way and believes the same is true for “many, many colleagues within government.”Article contentMarland, whose new book is No.1 in Team: Party Loyalty in Canadian Politics, ended the discussion by stating his belief that this province needs some independent representatives.Article contentBut distinctly partisan issues really are on-going. We might have avoided another furor over the potential development of a provincial park in Cape Breton, but Natural Resources Minister Kim Masland remains willing to discuss other projects on protected land.Article contentGolf proponents can’t build on West Mabou Beach, but will the minister really have a conversation with any company about any provincial park? NDP Leader Claudia Chender told reporters that Masland appeared to be talking out both sides of her mouth.Article contentWe need to do better. The politicians we elected need to protect Crown land full stop and avoid pandering to developers.Article contentArticle contentWendy Elliott is a former reporter for the Kentville Advertiser and Hants Journal. She lives in Wolfville.Article content
WENDY ELLIOTT: What is at risk? Our very democracy
