Don’t have dinner with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, is the message for Canadian senators.
According to the National Post, Senator Stephen Greene of Nova Scotia was always known for his conservative political credentials. He was the chief of staff to Opposition Leader Preston Manning, the man who founded the modern conservative movement in Canada and who forged together the right-leaning parties to form the new Conservative Party.
Now, he’s been kicked out of that same political party because he attended a dinner with Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Greene was handed a dictate earlier that day: go to dinner with Trudeau or remain sitting as a Conservative senator. He says he decided it was better to stay as an independent senator who could decide his dinner appointments than a Conservative who listened to the party leadership.
According to the Post story, Greene was provided with the opportunity to recant his meeting with Trudeau, something Green describes as “an ambush,” “silliness beyond belief,” and and a “bizarro world.”
Fellow Conservative Senator David Wells met with Green, having dinner with the intent of moving the Nova Scotia senator in the opposition’s direction. It was not to be.
“He was given the choice and chose to leave caucus,” says Wells.
“He has made a decision that goes against our values,” said Conservative leader in he Senate Larry Smith said. “We believe in the critical role of opposition in parliament and Stephen Greene’s actions (show) that he supports Trudeau in his desire to effectively remove this critical role. His actions have consistently been to support the government in this ill-conceived reform. We cannot agree with that view.”