It was argued that after the beating they took in Monday’s by-elections that the NDP needed some good news, and when the press release went out yesterday morning, they said that Thomas Mulcair would be making a “major announcement.” When it happened, however, it had all leaked – former Bloc MP Maria Mourani would be joining the party. Sort of. In front of a backdrop and with a giant novelty-sized membership card at the Chateau Laurier, rather than one of the other press theatres on the Hill, Mulcair and Mourani announced that she was taking out a membership with the party and would probably seek the nomination for the party in her current riding, but they were going to play it cute and while she would vote in lockstep with the party, she would remain an independent MP for the remainder of the term and not join caucus because of the NDP’s ridiculous policy that any floor-crossings require a by-election, because apparently we elect parties and not MPs in this country (a belief that is apparently shared in their demand for proportional representation). So, a “major announcement.” Andrew Coyne argues in favour of making floor-crossers run in a by-election only if they are crossing the floor to take a cabinet seat.

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