Showing posts with label Parliament. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Parliament. Show all posts

Saturday, March 26, 2011

Contempt

It was a motion whose time had come, perhaps not soon enough. The Harpercrites have been in contempt of Parliament since they first became a minority government in 2006, it just finally caught up with them. And they have not been scandal free since. Once in power they threw out the last vestiges of their Reform Party platform for the expediency of maintaining power at all costs.They had become the very Mulroney Conservatives that Reform had been formed against.

Canadian Government, Beset by Scandal, Collapses

C. E. S. Franks, an authority on Canadian parliamentary practice who is professor emeritus of political science at Queen’s University in Ontario, said it was the first time a Canadian government had been found in contempt of Parliament. Eight individuals have been found in contempt, he said.

Professor Franks said the Conservatives deserved credit for their economic record and for governing “reasonably competently,” but he was very critical of the government’s approach to politics.

“It’s treated Parliament like the enemy,” he said.

Walkom: Yes, contempt of Parliament does matter

But there is a bitterness to this prime minister that has infected his entire caucus. All politicians are partisan by definition. Harper’s partisanship is over the top. He not only disagrees with Canadians who are liberals and left-leaners. He seems to despise them.

All of this was manifest before he took over the merged Conservative Party. In those days, he disparaged what he called the moral failings of liberals, calling them nihilists bent on the destruction of western values.

In power, his rhetoric was often more restrained. But as former nuclear regulator Linda Keen found, those he believed tainted by Liberalism could expect no mercy. Keen was axed in 2007 because she insisted that Canadian nuclear plants have back-up power systems — systems we now know that Japan’s ill-fated Fukushima reactors famously lacked.

But her real sin was to have been appointed to by a previous Liberal government. That, Harper suggested, made her inherently untrustworthy.

Opposition MPs and others who had the temerity to disagree with the government were given equally short shrift. Canadians who questioned Ottawa’s handling of Afghan prisoners were treated as traitors. Richard Colvin, the veteran diplomat who testified to this mistreatment, was savagely and personally attacked.

At one point, when it looked like his government might be defeated, Harper simply shut down the Commons.

And while Harper flippantly dismisses the contempt charges against his governance and government, he continues to abuse his power by claiming as the outgoing PM that any form of Minority coalition government is 'illegitimate', in particular the one formed in 2008 after the fall election when he and his government refused to accept there was a recession and that they had to do something about it.

"Canadians need to understand clearly, without any ambiguity: unless Canadians elect a stable, national majority, Mr. Ignatieff will form a coalition with the NDP and Bloc Québécois," Harper said. "They tried it before. It is clear they will try it again. And, next time, if given the chance, they will do it in a way that no one will be able to stop."

"Imagine a coalition of arch-centralists and Quebec sovereignists trying to work together," Harper said. "The only thing they'll be able to agree on is to spend more money and to raise taxes to pay for it. We've all got too much at stake. Now is not the time for political instability."


Of course that was 2008 and he was in power. In 2004 then Liberal PM Paul Martin had a minority government and a coalition was formed by Harper, Duceppe and Layton against the Martin government. It was legitimate and legal then but not now says Harper.

Harper wanted 2004 coalition: Duceppe

Duceppe says Harper lying

OTTAWA - Stephen Harper is warning that the Liberals will form a coalition with the NDP and Bloc Quebecois if the May 2 federal election results in a minority government. But when he was Opposition leader, Harper didn't seem to mind the idea of governing with the support of the NDP and Bloc. Here's the text of a letter Harper and his fellow opposition leaders sent to the Governor General in 2004:

September 9, 2004

Her Excellency the Right Honourable Adrienne Clarkson,

C.C., C.M.M., C.O.M., C.D.

Governor General

Rideau Hall

1 Sussex Drive

Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0A1

Excellency,

As leaders of the opposition parties, we are well aware that, given the Liberal minority government, you could be asked by the Prime Minister to dissolve the 38th Parliament at any time should the House of Commons fail to support some part of the government's program.

We respectfully point out that the opposition parties, who together constitute a majority in the House, have been in close consultation. We believe that, should a request for dissolution arise this should give you cause, as constitutional practice has determined, to consult the opposition leaders and consider all of your options before exercising your constitutional authority.

Your attention to this matter is appreciated.

Sincerely,

Hon. Stephen Harper, P.C., M.P.

Leader of the Opposition

Leader of the Conservative Party of Canada

Gilles Duceppe, M.P.

Leader of the Bloc Quebecois

Jack Layton, M.P.

Leader of the New Democratic Party


Harper has always had contempt for Parliament, when he was a Reform MP and even more so as spokesman for the right wing business lobby NCC, but no more so than over the past five years in power when he acted like he had a majority not a minority.

Now he tries to run an election campaign to become King of Canada with a Conservative majority that does not reflect the values of the vast majority of Canadians.


Monday, November 05, 2007

Remember, remember the fifth of November

"Remember, remember the fifth of November.
Gunpowder, Treason and Plot.
I see no reason why Gunpowder Treason
Should ever be forgot."


'Tis the 5th of November Guy Fawkes Day.

There was a standard toast for Guy Fawkes Day among my acquaintances in Britain:

"To Guy Fawkes - the only man who ever entered Parliament with honest intentions!"


And of course V for Vendetta was modeled on Guy Fawkes.



"The People Should Not Be Afraid of their Governments, Governments should be afraid of their People."




On John Lennon's 1970 solo album John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band, Lennon sings "Remember, remember, the 5th of November" on the song "Remember". The lyrics are followed by the sound of an explosion.

Remember when you were young
How the hero was never hung
Always got away
Remember how the man
Used to leave you empty handed
Always, always let you down
If you ever change your mind
About leaving it all behind
Remember, remember, today

Don't you worry
'bout what you've done
Don't feel sorry
'bout the way it's gone

Remember when you were small
How people seemed so tall
Always had their way
Remember your ma and pa
Just wishing for movie stardom
Always, always playing a part
If you ever feel so sad
And the whole world is driving you mad
Remember, remember today

Remember
Tribute to V for Vendetta using Remember by John Lennon and the Plastic Ono Band





SP 14/216; Guy Fawkes' confession, 1605 - opens in a new window

Signature of Guy Fawkes on a confession, 1605


Click to see more images
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Confession of Guy Fawkes


These pages are from the confessions of Guy Fawkes. Fawkes is the most well known of the men who planned to blow up King James I and the Parliament in 1605.

In the years after England split away from the Catholic Church, most English monarchs were not very tolerant of Catholics living in England. James I was a Protestant king and English Catholics despaired of any return to the old religion. A small group decided to blow up both King and Parliament with gunpowder. They planned to place James' daughter Elizabeth ON the throne.They hoped she would marry a Catholic prince AND England would ONCE again be a Catholic country.

The king 's spies discovered the plot. Fawkes was found on the night of 4th/5th November 1605 in the cellars under the Palace of Westminster, where Parliament was due to meet. He had 36 barrels of gunpowder. On the following days, he confessed to the plot and named the others involved.

Fawkes signed 2 confessions - one after torture and another 8 days later. The contrast between them is remarkable. The first document shown here is a page from his confession under torture. His weak and shaky signature ' Guido' can faintly be made out. The second document is from a confession signed later in a steadier hand 'Guido Fawkes'.

Fawkes and the other plotters were executed on 30 and 31 January 1606. Ever since then, every 5th of November there have been firework displays and bonfires to remember the 'Gunpowder Plot '.

http://www.learnhistory.org.uk/crime/Guy%20Fawkes.gif

English playwrights and the theater loved the dramatic
images of Guy Fawkes and the celebration of the Fifth
of November. Bonfires...the plot itself and then there is Guy.
It is hoped that the study of Fawkes as he appears from
play to play throughout the centuries will provide us
with insights into how the history of the plot and its celebrations
evolved through time. See what you find in these works.
They are certainly quite enjoyable and fun in and of themselves.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/80/Guy_Fawkes_portrait.jpg

Security is the chief enemy of mortals.
William Shakespeare

Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both. Anyone who trades liberty for security deserves neither liberty nor security.

Benjamin Franklin


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Thursday, September 06, 2007

Parliamentary Collapse

As predicted last spring Harper is proroguing parliament. Harper delays Parliament's return until Oct. 16

Folks are speculating that Harper recalled Parliament late because he is planning to force a confidence vote.
Canada PM set for confidence vote

I think it was because they were waiting for the Parliament buildings to get repaired, or collapse.
Parliament Buildings 'in danger of collapse'

Since they won't be repaired by then their imminent collapse is expected, much like the Harper government.

And in the process of all this politicking, maybe we'll learn what this word "prorogue" means, anyway.

In fact, however, the word is derived from the Old French "proroguer," the Middle English "prorogen" (and Latin before that). To prorogue can mean "to defer" as well as "to adjourn." In Canada, a prorogation has come to indicate the period between two sessions of a legislative body. In effect, the parliament is in recess until the Governor General opens a new session on behalf of the reigning monarch and reads the Speech from the Throne.

The word has been prominent in history, although not always in stories whose endings our prime minister would particularly like.

in the early years of his reign, King Charles I of England issued prorogation orders in his battle with a Parliament reluctant to grant his demands for new revenue. At one point, he advised them to "Remember that parliaments are altogether in my power for their calling, sitting, and dissolution; therefore as I find the fruits of them good or evil, they are to continue or not to be."

Sounds like King Stephen.

Of course if he does prorogue parliament he can blame the opposition for not passing his law and order bills which he has delayed implementing.

Proroguing would kill most bills currently before Parliament - including key government legislation on the environment and crime-unless opposition parties agreed to bring them back at the stage they were at.

And it will kill the green albatross around his neck, the controversial Environmental legislation that was redrafted by the opposition.
Perhaps the most important bill at stake is C-30, government environmental legislation that was substantially reworked by the opposition parties.




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Thursday, May 24, 2007

Proroguing Parliament

Greg Weston of the Sun is speculating about the Harpocrites proroguing parliament sometime in June.

The speculation around the capital is Harper and crew will pull the plug on the current session of Parliament before the middle of June, and return in October.

Sometime in that period the PM will announce that Parliament has been prorogued, an arcane way of saying Act I of "Harper and the Conservatives go to Ottawa" is formally over.

The Globe and Mail joined in the speculation "The rumours suggest the government will prorogue this session of Parliament in early June. The next session would not begin until after the Ontario election on Oct. 10."

But on Politics with Don Newman on CBC yesterday Jim Travers of the Toronto Star speculated that Harper may Prorogue Parliament as early as next week. In fact without calling parliament back the PM could do it.

And given the stalling tactics used last week over committees, the disaster which is the Afghan detainee issue, now swept away temporarily with the Harper trip to Kandahar, the failure of their Green Plan, proroguing parliament immediately after the break would be a way to start again.

Since they didn't call an election the Conservatives have nothing new to offer Canadians. They are now stale, and they can only stall.

To Prorogue or Not to Prorogue that is the question facing the dysfunctional Conservative government.

And Travers told Newman that it might happen Monday night when the PM has called a special meeting with the press corps on the hill.

Of course that is also the first night of the Stanley Cup between the Ottawa Senators and the Anaheim Ducks, and being a big hockey fan maybe the PM is inviting them to 24 Sussex drive to share beer and chips and watch the game.

But somehow I doubt it.



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Friday, May 11, 2007

Taking Their Toys And Leaving

Twice in one week the Terrible Tory Tots have disrupted parliamentary committees with their childish behavior.

Tories storm out of meeting on sharing energy with U.S.

Amid heated charges of a coverup, Tory MPs on Thursday abruptly shut down parliamentary hearings on a controversial plan to further integrate Canada and the U.S.

The firestorm erupted within minutes of testimony by University of Alberta professor Gordon Laxer that Canadians will be left “to freeze in the dark” if the government forges ahead with plans to integrate energy supplies across North America.

He was testifying on behalf of the Alberta-based Parkland Institute about concerns about the Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP), a 2005 accord by the U.S., Canada and Mexico to streamline economic and security rules across the continent. The deal, which calls North American “energy security” a priority, commits Canada to ensuring American energy supplies even though Canada itself — unlike most industrialized nations — has no national plan or reserves to protect its own supplies, he argued.

At that point, Tory MP Leon Benoit, chair of the Commons Standing Committee on International Trade which was holding the SPP hearings, ordered Laxer to halt his testimony, saying it was not relevant.

Opposition MPs called for, and won, a vote to overrule Benoit’s ruling.

Benoit then threw down his pen, declaring, “This meeting is adjourned,” and stormed out, followed by three of the panel’s four Conservative members.

Language committee cancellation frustrates MPs

The Conservatives' sudden cancellation of Tuesday's meeting of the Commons official languages committee when it was set to hear from officials who ran the Court Challenges Program is the latest sign of disrespect toward linguistic minorities, opposition MPs said Tuesday.


"The fact the Conservative members did not show up and the meeting was cancelled two minutes before 9 o'clock proves to me the order did not come from the chair (Conservative MP Guy Lauzon) or the members of the committee but from higher up," said Liberal official languages critic Raymonde Folco, who lay the blame with Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

When not wanting to hear they put their fingers in their ears and go nyah, nyah.....


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Tuesday, February 13, 2007

Baird Misquoted Me Says Gore




Well I am glad to see Al Gore is clearing the air about being associated with Conservatives, even if it was only by being quoted by Harpers mouth that roars; John Baird.

Former U.S. vice-president Al Gore has denounced the federal Conservatives for twisting what he terms words of encouragement into an endorsement of the government's work on climate change.

"I understand that last week Canada's Minister of the Environment, Minister John Baird, mischaracterized comments I made last summer as praise for the Harper government's actions on global warming," Mr. Gore, who has become one of the world's best-known environmental activists, said in a statement yesterday.

"The comments I made were designed to encourage the Harper government not to abandon Canada's tradition of fighting above its weight class on the world stage as part of the Kyoto process."



See

Baird

Environment



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Wednesday, February 07, 2007

Gore Quote


Mr. Speaker, I think that was an excellent description of the previous Liberal government.

Let me say to the Leader of the Opposition that when he says we should have acted one year ago, I say he should have acted 10 years ago.

The Leader of the Opposition can quote Goldman Sachs. I can quote someone speaking about Canada's environmental role in the world:


--Canada, once again providing leadership in the world, fighting above its weight class and showing moral authority to the rest of the world. That's what Canada's known for.

Do we know who said that yesterday? Al Gore.


See

Baird

Environment



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Tuesday, February 06, 2007

Al Gore A Tory?

File this under all is fair in love and war and politics...

In answer to a question in Palrliament today, Environment Minister, and Mouth that Roared, John Baird, he who is never without a newspaper to quote from, quoted Al Gore saying that Canada punched above its weight when it comes to championing the environment.

(source unkown and you will have to wait till tommorow for the exact quote to appear in Hansard)

My, my will wonders never cease. It's the Jolly Green Make Over of the Tories.

Of course we know this is all this recent conversion on the road to Paris, they still deny Kyoto, is superficial.

After all remember the last time a Tory Minister quoted Al Gore.

I hope they all plan to attend this event, if not to embrace Gore at least to get his autograph,


Former US vice-president Al Gore will give a public lecture at the University of Toronto Feb. 21, addressing the threat of global climate change. ...

See

Baird

Environment



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Monday, February 05, 2007

Environment Minister MIA

I am having a flashback.

The new Conservative Environment Minister has become just like the old Environment Minister.

John Baird has bowed out of appearing before the Parliamentary Environment Committee, twice now, reports CBC reporter Julie Van Dusen on Newsworlds QP.

See

Baird

Ambrose


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Jack Alliterates


Jack Layton on the partisan politics in parliament around the environment bill C-30.

"We have ditherer's, deniers and delayers"





See

NDP


Jack Layton


Environment


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Crack The Whip


Tonights vote in Parliament on the Liberals Kyoto motion will be whipped for the Tories says Don Newman on CBC. Yep them Tories who promised free votes in the House. And that they would only whip votes on fiscal bills. Another broken promise. No wait, they already broke that one.

See

Whipped

Whip


Broken Promises


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