One dozen rebel Canadian Alliance MPs formally split with their party yesterday to form a separate political group in Parliament -- a move that could doom chances of healing the Official Opposition caucus under embattled leader Stockwell Day.
The group of Mr. Day's critics has appointed British Columbia MP Chuck Strahl as its leader and taken the name "Democratic Representative Caucus." The rebels insist the entity is not a separate political party and suggest they could renew a "partnership" with Alliance MPs when turmoil over Mr. Day's leadership is resolved.
"To our friends in the Canadian Alliance caucus, we hope this is an au revoir and not goodbye," Mr. Strahl said. "Any of you who wish to join us now or later, our door is wide open."
Two days ago, Mr. Day tried to pacify dissent within the party by proposing a new leadership race that would see him resign about 90 days before the ballot. Absent from his offer was a concrete date for stepping down, a schedule Mr. Day said won't be known until a convention is planned, which could take place as far in the future as a year from now.
But the 12 dissidents, including Mr. Strahl and veteran MP Deborah Grey, said yesterday they weren't prepared to wait any longer for changes at the top.
They also said they weren't convinced that attempts to draw them back into the fold were sincere.
"Our requirement that Stockwell Day resign did not occur. Until he resigns, the rest is irrelevant," rebel MP Jim Gouk said. Added fellow dissident MP Jim Pankiw, "Any future for the Canadian Alliance with [Mr. Day]as leader is bleak."
Mr. Day called the rebels' move a bitter backlash. "This is a very unfortunate choice that they have made. They continue to defy the sacred right of the people to make decisions," he said while attending a riding association barbecue in New Brunswick.
Yesterday's political divorce enraged Day supporters, who called it a selfish power play.
Alliance caucus chairman Randy White lambasted the group, saying its plan is absurd and embarrassing to everyone involved.
He said the rebels got what they wanted when Mr. Day offered to resign.
"It's probably the best pinball game I've ever seen. They're going from pillar to post," he said.
Alliance House Leader John Reynolds said the dissidents, who still consider themselves members of the party, should be kicked out.
Former Day staffer Ezra Levant lampooned the Democratic Representative Caucus's decision to anoint itself as a separate entity without a mandate from voters.
"They're not democratic. No one voted for the DRC. They just hatched themselves in an Ottawa boardroom. It's not representative. Their voters back home chose during the election to be represented by the Alliance," Mr. Levant said. "They call themselves a caucus . . . but let's call it what it is: Chuck Strahl's party."
A 13th MP, Brian Fitzpatrick, parted ways with the other rebels yesterday afternoon, saying he hopes to return to the Alliance caucus fold because he's not comfortable with the dissidents' plan to talk about building bridges with rival Progressive Conservative MPs. He said he's satisfied with Mr. Day's proposal to kick off a new leadership race.
MP Art Hanger denied that the group, which is planning to talk co-operation with Tories at a conference next month in Mont-Tremblant, Que., is considering a marriage with Conservatives.
He said they merely want to work together in the Commons to hold the Liberal government to account.
For their part, Tories said the split in the Alliance is good news, allowing talks on collaboration in the Commons to move forward.
"The day certainly hasn't been negative for us," Conservative MP Loyola Hearn said.
The Democratic Representative Caucus will apply to Commons Speaker Peter Milliken to be recognized as a separate caucus in the House with its own small quota of daily questions. Mr. Strahl said the group also expects to receive a proportion of opposition party funding to pay for research and staff on a per capita basis just like other parties do.
Mr. Reynolds said the group's Commons funding will end up coming out of the Alliance budget.
Mr. Strahl said the group plans to stop commenting on the Alliance and Mr. Day's leadership. "It's time to get past the leadership issue. This thing is seizing Parliament, it's seizing the Canadian body politic." He said the rebels believe Canadians want them to stop bickering and start tackling problems such as the prairie drought, Canada's weak dollar and health care.