Beyond The Commons

Aaron Wherry covers all the goings-on in and around Parliament Hill. Follow Aaron on Twitter: @aaronwherry

Categories: Beyond The Commons, Capital Read

Where have you gone John Turner?

by Aaron Wherry on Thursday, May 7, 2009 12:46pm - 20 Comments

Adam Radwanski wonders why no one’s asking questions about free trade with Europe.

The fact that yesterday’s Question Period yielded nary a single question on this matter, on the day that the Prime Minister was meeting with European officials in Prague to discuss it, is rather telling of the ability of that forum to shed light on the government’s activity.

Granted, the answers would probably all have come back to the scurrilous Liberals’ dastardly plans to raise taxes. But if opposition politicians felt no compulsion to at least attempt to find out what the government is aiming for and how it’s progressing, I’m really not sure why they bother going to work each day.

Tags: Europe, European Union, free trade, house of commons, Parliament, Question Period

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Critical Reasoning

Paul Wells. We’re lucky to have him. Ignatieff should start reading his columns.
CAPS

We’re all free-traders now (wither Maude Barlow).
Lord Kitchener’s Own

I really think this mostly comes down to nothing more than “everyone pretty much agrees that this is good, and no one can discuss details in the House while negotiations are actually happening, so why bother asking questions?”

I suppose the NDP silence is a bit perplexing. Given that we’re talking about EUROPE here, is it possible the NDP is just less against averse to a NAFTA-esque trade deal with Europe than one might expect because they favour the counterbalance it would (could) be to our over-reliance on the Americans?

Anyway, the Liberal’s silence seems pretty obvious and benign to me. Why ask a bunch of questions about sensitive ongoing negotiations, that no one’s going to answer in the House anyway (nor should they while negotiations are ongoing) if you pretty much agree with the concept surrounding the thing being negotiated?

Critical Reasoning

That is a very generous interpretation of the Liberal silence on this important issue. Perhaps they are simply not on the ball.

Lord Kitchener’s Own

At this stage, I just don’t see what the Liberals can ask that would be remotely productive. This is a very important issue, I agree, and batting it about in the House while diplomats are engaged in negotiations in Europe would be a DISASTER, imho.

I can see though how in some people’s eyes the Liberals can’t win here. If they don’t bring it up, they’re accused of not being “on the ball”. If they brought it up, I can almost guarantee someone would ask why they were endangering sensitive negotiations by turning the the issue into a political football in the House of Commons (and I’d lay good money on the person giving that response being the government MP picked to answer the question in QP). I highly doubt even a softball “How awesome is Europe, and how exciting is this deal gonna be?” kinda question wouldn’t devolve into some sort of partisan idiocy these days.

Best to let negotiating dogs negotiate.

As I said though, the NDP silence is a bit different. Wouldn’t they (presumably) WANT to throw a wrench in these works? Curious.

Critical Reasoning

LKO, a sweeping free trade agreement with Europe is exactly the sort of thing that should be discussed and debated in the House. I’m sure there is a way to do so without jeopardizing sensitive negotiations. Question Period is supposed to be about answers, not about scoring poltical points. The Tories and Liberals are both responsible for turning QP into a partisan farce.

Regarding the NDP silence, I would suggest that they are silent on this issue because they don’t know what the hell is going on. The NDP don’t seem to know which way is up, half the time.

Lord Kitchener’s Own

Question Period is supposed to be about answers

ROFLMAO!

Who the Hell told you that!?!?!

That’s, like, the single moist hilarious comment I’ve read at Macleans for ages.

Question period about answers.

Oh, you slay me CR, you really do (wipes away tear…)

Mike T.

That’s a sensible interpretation. If both parties are really serious, then this thing will generate problems not on general principle (I can’t see Ignatieff not doing the same thing as Harper) but on details that haven’t emerged yet.
madeyoulook

Ditto, LKO. Did Radwanski want the Libs to throw away a question in QP to congratulate the governing party for this prosperity-enabling initiative?

Although indeed the NDP’s absence of outrage over a prosperity-enabling initiative is a little confusing.

Lord Kitchener’s Own

Indeed, as a commenter at Rad’s place says, what are the Liberals supposed to ask in Question period? “How awesome is it that you guys are working on negotiating a big trade deal with the E.U.! Could the Minister give us an update on this ongoing awesomeness???”

If anything, throwing this open in the House while negotiations are taking place can only lead to badness, and can’t do any good whatsoever as far as I’m concerned.

http://www.jackmitchell.ca Jack Mitchell

That sounds like a pretty good question to me, i.e. an informational question framed in happy, patriotic terms. Where is it written that QP has to be about smashing the other guy in the face?

Lord Kitchener’s Own

Yes, I somewhat agree, but as I said above there’s a 50-50 chance the response from the government, even to a question like that, would be “Why is the Liberal Leader trying to turn this issue into a political football by bringing it up in the House while sensitive negotiations take place overseas”. (Cries of “Shame! Shame!”).

Best to not tempt fate.
madeyoulook

C’mon, Jack, it happened once this parliamentary session already, with priase for the Minister of Health. Let’s not get carried away.
http://www.jackmitchell.ca Jack Mitchell

LKO: “there’s a 50-50 chance . . .”

The other option being, “Mr. Speaker, the LIberal leader has stood up here today to congratulate this government on the EU trade initiative, when it is well known that his solution to international trade is to raise taxes during a recession . . .”

MYL: Dude, I’d be delighted, at this stage, to go back to the days when the whole House stood and cheered and sang “God Save the Queen” whenever anybody alluded to Queen Victoria. Shock therapy.
Lord Kitchener’s Own

Indeed JM,

As Rad himself says “the answers would probably all have come back to the scurrilous Liberals’ dastardly plans to raise taxes”.

I take it as the highest indication of the dire importance of (and general agreement regarding) any issue, that the two big political parties DON’T TALK ABOUT IT IN THE HOUSE AT ALL.

It’s sad, but when our politicians aren’t discussing the important issues of the day in the House, my general reaction is “Thank God!”.

Silence is golden.
madeyoulook

Maybe we are in those days now, Jack. When do you suppose was the last time anybody alluded to Queen Victoria in the House of Commons? Perhaps our current Commoners just have not had the opportunity to delight you with such a loyal-subject display…

;)
http://www.jackmitchell.ca Jack Mitchell

@LKO: LOL.

@MYL: That would make for an interesting Hansard search, eh? Both the last time she was mentioned and the last time everybody got up and clapped.
madeyoulook

Jack, I get the feeling you and I are wandering into divergent definitional territory for “interesting.” But knock yourself out, mate.

Jenn

This was my thinking as well. After all, about the only thing the Liberals could say would be to voice approval of the Prime Minister’s actions and, well that isn’t going to happen anytime soon, now is it?

Wascally Wabbit

Hey don’t blame the politicians. With the exception of Adam Radwmanski and now Mr. Wells – the media – with one exception – David Olive at the Toronto Star – writing from a business perspective – was the only one to explore this.
I tried to get someone to bite when Harper arranged (very quietly before the election) for the French President and EU president to come over to Quebec City 3 days after the October election to kick this thing off.
I thought it ought to have been an election issue – it is that big. No-one wanted to touch it! They all prefered to see just how deep a hole they could dig for Dion.