Cheering on “Vegas”

Ruth Ellen Brosseau, MP for Berthier-Maskinonge, on her first visit to her riding. (Picture: Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press)

After much attention was focused on her for her mid-campaign trip to Las Vegas, and then on the inability of the press to find her in the election's aftermath, it seems some sanity might be returning to the life of new MP Ruth Ellen Brosseau – if chasing around Parliament Hill trying with all the other newly elected MP's trying to figure out which way is up qualifies as sanity.

Reading some articles about her paints a picture of a pretty ordinary Canadian – and I mean that as a compliment. Mother to a 10-year old, Logan, she became pregnant at 16, having her son at 17, and in the process was apparently ostracized by some of her friends. After leaving school to have Logan, the centre of her life, she worked to complete high school by correspondence, and has since worked, sometimes two different jobs, to support her and her son.

She has had some flak directed at her as a result of her election. The peanut gallery dismisses her as not speaking French, or at least enough French. She didn't campaign in her riding. And so on. Well, if anyone has an issue with this, the blame goes on the voters of Berthier-Maskinonge. And the noises coming out of the riding, excluding those of coming from her competitors, has been very open-minded. Seems her new constituents are willing to give her the benefit of the doubt.

As should the rest of us. She is the duly elected Member for Berthier-Maskinonge, and a rookie MP like so many others who will journey to the nation's capital for the June 2 return of Parliament. She has a job to do, and she has four years to prove to her constituents she is worthy of being given their vote again.

So enough cheap shots and baseless accusations. Congratulations on your win, “Vegas”, and I hope the next four years are good to you and Logan both.

NDP shifts to damage control over ‘Vegas’ MP Ruth Ellen Brosseau - thestar.com

By Andrew Chung - from the Toronto Star

BERTHIERVILLE, QUE.—Claudette Labbée has seen a lot of things in her 70 years. But she’s never seen anything like the awkward situation involving her newly elected rookie MP, Ruth Ellen Brosseau.

“Maybe she can be responsible. But she doesn’t seem responsible the way she’s acting . . . ,” she said.

Labbée thought that even if she didn’t know the NDP candidate before election day, Brosseau would be there after her stunning victory.

But Brosseau’s whereabouts are still unknown. She has given no interviews.

The case of the invisible MP is just one of several fronts the New Democrats are fighting as they try to protect the young and the restless before taking over as the official Opposition.

The age and inexperience of the 58 NDP MPs elected in Quebec — among them, several university students — has come under fire, as have comments by the 19-year-old MP-elect in Sherbrooke, who said, “Quebecers will decide if they want to be a country.”

And then there’s party deputy leader Thomas Mulcair musing about the existence of photos of Osama bin Laden’s body. Read more...

NDP shifts to damage control over ‘Vegas’ MP Ruth Ellen Brosseau - thestar.com

Second NDP candidate takes vacation from campaign trail

If the NDP can't field candidates who are serious about running for Parliament, how can voters place their trust in them to take a major role in the Commons as either the Official Opposition or, if Jack Layton is lucky, and the country is not, Prime Minister?

Second NDP candidate takes vacation from campaign trail