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At what point in the life of a losing political issue does a politician move from hoping to appear as a "strong decision-maker" to being just plain arrogant and stubborn?

File

Education Minister Kelly Lamrock answers reporter’s questions about the report on French second-language education.

Let's put this question another way - the Shawn Graham Liberal government made a decision based on research that 21 university professors have described as "crazy." One would think that alone would cause a politician to take a second look at his or her decision.

Although the decision to axe the effective early French immersion program is only a few weeks old, the daily mounting criticism from a wide variety of credible sources is making the silver-tongued Kelly Lamrock look more stubborn and arrogant than strong. From the understandably disappointed parents to the thousands of graduates of the very successful EFI, there is an expected reaction - please don't take away a nationally recognized program that we cherish.

In a very poor choice of words, our own Premier described the reaction of these folks as "emotional." The unfortunate part of Shawn Graham's statement is that he fails to realize that emotional people are motivated people. Of course, he will have ample time to learn that lesson over the next two years.

I am very certain the parents and graduates of EFI are emotional now, and will remain so in the future... and with good cause! What factual, non-emotional information has the government provided them to back up their divisive and controversial decision? They offer up a report Lamrock commissioned, but according to most experts in language learning, the recommendations are severely flawed. The experts are saying instead of taking an either-or approach, and eliminating one very successful program, the government should be enhancing both entry points to French immersion.

According to a group of 21 math and statistics professors at UNB, who looked only at the numbers in the Lee-Croll report and not the policy issues, there are so many numerical errors in the report as to make it useless. Since very few people would ever accuse a group of math teachers of being "emotional," maybe this is the point at which we conclude the decision to axe early French immersion is just plain wrong.

It is no secret that Lamrock is an accomplished debater, and he has employed a classic debate strategy in responding to this latest challenge: Don't let the numbers and facts get in the way of your argument, and if the numbers don't support you, come up with another argument. In this case, Lamrock has said that the 21 math professors are missing the broader point - that what he really wants is more students to be able to learn French. This is a terrific goal, especially for those of us living in Canada's only officially bilingual province.

In my experience in business and politics I have learned that strong leadership has a necessary prerequisite, solid defendable research and meaningful consultation. For some reason Shawn Graham has yet to realize that you cannot simply say that you want to change things and expect that people will blindly follow you. You need to lay out your case with more than rhetoric; you need to provide facts and be prepared to defend them.

At this point I believe it is important to note that this is not a partisan issue. This is not just a Liberal versus Conservative tussle. Very clear evidence of this fact can be found in the long list of Liberals starting to line up against their leader. Prominent Liberals like Donald Savoie, former Louis Robichaud confidante Robert Pichette, and former Liberal cabinet minister Denis Losier have openly cautioned the government about this and other reckless policies. A former Liberal Leader, Bernard Richard, has also added his name to the list of concerned Liberals by saying he believes the government has made a mistake on FSL education. We have seen Liberals from the ridings of Kings East and Tantramar publicly state that they disagree with the their Party on this issue and we have had at least one riding president resign in protest. Another prominent Liberal, who states she has been an active party member for 50 years, has said that she will burn her membership card and will work against the Liberals in the next election. I am certain that many more Liberals will follow their lead.

As the opponents to this decision continue to line up one after another, and as the government continues to brush them off with soaring rhetoric about making "strong decisions," the question looms larger and larger. Who really is being emotional about this decision? As parents and concerned citizens continue to press on with facts and arguments, it is the government that turns a blind eye and by doing so displays their true emotion - they are stubborn.

The fact is that all of these people, Liberals, Progressive Conservatives, New Democrats and unaffiliateds, are appealing directly to the man who could make this whole issue go away, Shawn Graham. As the Premier of New Brunswick, he has the power and should have the ability to intervene, as he did with UNBSJ, and clearly state that he is going to listen to the will of the people and reverse this ill-conceived policy decision. The question is, will he lead?

Robert MacLeod is a Sussex businessman, President of the Progressive Conservative Party of New Brunswick and Chairs the Board of Directors of the New Brunswick Innovation Foundation. For more information please visit www.pcnb.ca.