Jean Lapierre once stood for the cause of a federated Canada when he was a member of the Progressive Conservatives under Brian Mulroney (Ooops. Thanks Shameer). He was a Trudeau Liberal, lived as a Grit under the Turner years but abandoned the party under the claim of following principle around the time that a new leader was being selected. Lapierre then made the cause of Quebec sovereignty his own as he joined the rump that became the Bloc Quebecois in 1990. In reality, he followed Lucien Bouchard and his popularity, and as soon as Bouchard’s fortunes wore off, Lapierre abandoned his company, took a radio job for a while, and later rejoined the federal Liberals under the leadership of the same principled Quebecker who he had earlier rejected, Jean Chretien.

But Lapierre’s leader was never Jean Chretien. As a Liberal he helped to organise the Martinista wing of the Liberal Party in Quebec in preparation for the palace coup that Paul Martin would eventually lead against the Chretienista. In short, one can add Jean Chretien to the long list of political bosses that adorn the walls of Lapierre’s betrayals. One single man, it seems, and so many causes.

At first blush one would easily conclude that Lapierre is rudderless and indecisive. A poor man who at his age does not know what he wants. But that assessment would require the conclusion that Lapierre believed in the ideas and positions of all those parties. With that fickleness as essence, it’s not hard to see how he became a talk radio vedette in the Quebec. He could move from one caller to the next every few seconds never to have to concentrate his mind for more than that on one single question. The job suited his temperament perfectly. Like most vedettes, the binding thread is one’s self. After so many parties and so many callers, it’s not hard to see how the cause of Jean Lapierre is Jean Lapierre. There is continuity in the haphazardness of his life in the public eye, and it is not the continuity of principle.

His newest boss has a keen eye. With so much movement in Lapierre’s life, what portfolio would you give this kind of man but the Ministry of Transport?

Among most Quebeckers, for whom politics is played for keeps, Lapierre is not just a two-time turncoat: he is a traitor. One can betray employers, friends, family, country or cause. But there is no worst traitor like the one who betrays a cause. Typically, a cause, whatever it may be, is based on identifiable principles, and not in the command of a man. Men come and go, but principles remain. Lapierre betrayed the cause of Rene Levesque. I don’t say this to place myself in agreement with the separatists (whether I am or not is not the point). Rene Levesque was an example of how, in some cases, one might respect the principles and the men who hold them, even when one is opposed to a cause.

In light of this pedigree, I find myself smiling this morning when I read in the Globe that Lapierre is calling Gilles Duceppe “a coward.” Duceppe has decided to keep his politics in Ottawa. Prompted to respond to Lapierre’s insult, Duceppe refused. Instead, he emphasised in his group the virtues so alien to Lapierre: “there is something in life that’s called commitment and a sense of duty and conviction, and that’s the role the Bloc is playing here [in Ottawa].” Wisdom in politics requires knowing, as the saying goes, not to get into a urinating contest with a skunk.

Duceppe’s decision spells bad news for the Martinistas, who were hoping for leadership races in both sovereigntists parties (and if the editorialist fools in the National Post today had their way, there would be three leadership races). Duceppe’s decision will make Lapierre’s job that much harder in Quebec.

Lapierre’s premature reaction to the news that Duceppe might be staying in Ottawa can only be seen as one last ditch effort to prick Duceppe’s pride into equivocating. But Duceppe is more disciplined than that as his response shows. He’s shown to be no coward, but on the contrary. Agreement with his “cause” is no obstacle to realising that he has made the harder choice; he has avoided the path of least resistance. But Lapierre has no sight to recognise such things.

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PS. As evidence of how much the Globe and Mail is in touch with Quebec politics and the internal dynamics of the sovereigntists parties, read Jeffrey Simpson predict a week ago why Duceppe will go to Quebec City.