Give the rookies a chance

A lot of media types are making a big deal about the number of rookie New Democratic Party MPs who were elected in the May 2 federal election. They want to see the train wreck and can't wait for the first screw up that is bound to come.

For those who haven't heard or who may not live here in Canada, the NDP made history on election night when 104 of their candidates were elected. As a result, the party became the Official Opposition to the Conservative Party. The Liberal Party stumbled in this election and was reduced to 34 seats giving them third party status in Parliament.


 Most of the rookie NDP candidates were elected in Quebec. Quite a few were university students. Now they must put aside their studies and focus on their new jobs which pay quite a bit more than minimum wage and include benefits.

Will NDP leader Jack Layton have a tough job teaching his new colleagues the ropes? You bet. Given their numbers there's a steep learning curve for everyone. But I'm not one of the naysayers who's looking down their nose at these young people. I think it's great there's some new blood in the House of Commons.

It wasn't that long ago I was young and breaking into the newspaper industry. I remember walking into one of my first newspaper jobs at the Bloor West Villager as the whole staff minus one guy in production was leaving. They'd quit and were starting a competing newspaper down the street. In one moment I went from cub reporter to editor. It was a tough adjustment but I did it. Two years later the Villager was voted best community newspaper at the Ontario Community Newspaper Association. Victory was mine.

If I could go back in time I wouldn't change a thing about that experience. It made me learn a lot and learn it fast in a very public manner, something many of these rookie MPs will discover as well.

Given the Conservatives now have a majority government it's probably the best time for these new NDP MPs to learn the ropes. If the NDP had actually won the election outright, sure it would have been a different story. Those of us who lived through the Bob Rae years in Ontario remember some of the mistakes made when his party formed government. But being in the Opposition benches the glare of the spotlight won't be as harsh.

In 2004 a Conservative rookie MP by the name of Colin Carrie was elected in Oshawa. He was trained as a chiropractor and knew nothing about being a MP. He learned his job and has now been re-elected three times.

But that's the media, we're waiting for a mistake, something to pounce on. I may not like it but I get it.

There will be some mistakes made in the next four years by members of all political parties whether they're young or old. To err is human.

Anybody who's new to Parliament will have to learn the ropes. Let's give them all a chance before we try to knock them down.