Scab to moderate panel for 'left-wing' group

I was genuinely shocked when I learned a few days ago that the Broadbent Institute is about to hold a panel discussion called “Learning From the Historic Alberta Election” on Monday in Vancouver.
The cause of my dismay was not that this topic is going to be dealt with in Vancouver — the event, after all, is being organized with the Simon Fraser University School of Public Policy in nearby Burnaby and is doubtless of more than a little interest to our politically engaged neighbours in British Columbia, just as it is in Ottawa where the institute is based.
Rather, it was the revelation the event would be hosted by Calgary Herald political columnist Don Braid that shocked me. Actually, I first realized this when I noticed a tweet saying Braid would be the moderator of the panel on the New Democratic Party’s unexpected victory in the May 5 Alberta election.
No doubt Braid was very pleased to have been invited to play this role by a prestigious and progressive organization that bears the name of former NDP federal leader Ed Broadbent. I was not so delighted.
My problem with this is that while I have considerable regard for Braid’s political commentary, and have quoted his observations in this blog from time to time over the years, he is simply not an appropriate host for an event put on by an organization that is supported by many donations from unions and individual union members.
The reason: Braid’s role in the strike at the Calgary Herald that took place from Nov. 8, 1999, to June 30, 2000. Braid did service during the latter part of the bitter eight-month labour dispute as a strikebreaker and, in my informed opinion, made a significant contribution to the employer’s successful effort to break the union.
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