We never thought we'd live to see the day when John Reynolds and Sheila Copps would be on the same side - and over an issue that comes from Squamish, no less.
Each has his (and her) own reasons for painting the government as cruel and heartless for condoning an immigration system that refuses a widow the right to come to Canada to bury her husband of three months. Given their political stripes, that's probably where the similarities stop.
But both are deserving of praise for not turning our community's tragedy into a political soapbox, despite the obvious temptation to do so.
Reynolds, after some typical bombast about government bureaucracy, dedicated himself to using his connections and power to get Mrs. Dhillon to Canada as quickly as possible, extending his own personal guarantee that she would not abuse her visa to stay in Canada.
Copps, on the West Coast to attend a Sikh function in Mission, heard about the memorial and came to Squamish to show support to the community here - and came with surprisingly little fanfare.
Her words in the temple, as expected, were critical of the government from which she is now estranged - but the fact that her presence in Squamish isn't hitting the media until now speaks volumes. Had she wanted to use this tragedy to embarrass her former leadership rival Paul Martin, she certainly has the connections to have done so. We can conclude from her quiet visit to Squamish that her motives were more than purely political and can appreciate the visit and show of support all the more.
Perhaps it's a sign of how cynical we've become of politicians that a show of common decency by one of them is seen as cause for celebration.
We agree with both of them that the bureaucracy that kept Mrs. Dhillon from coming to Canada in time for her husband's funeral is atrocious and undeserving of our reputation as a welcoming country to immigrants.
The challenge they face is to help improve that system from the outside - Reynolds in opposition, Copps in exile from her party and facing the possible loss of her seat in a bitter nomination battle.
But with the Liberal party in increasing disarray, either one could find themselves in a position to work change from a position of power.
