Comments on: The Commons: Huzzah, Mr. Ignatieff asks a question that is not entirely rhetorical

By: Jonathan

Jonathan — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 22:27:20 +0000

All of which is fine and dandy to think, but doesn't at all relate to whether Ignatieff's question was rehetorical or not. Did he really expect Harper to answer 'yes' or 'no'? It's phrased exactly the same as one of those 'so, when did you stop beating your wife' questions.

By: novagardener

novagardener — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 18:01:22 +0000

So true.

By: novagardener

novagardener — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 17:59:18 +0000

Forty years ago I worked at External (now Foreign Affairs IIRC) and ACTUAL responses were prepared in anticipation of questions brought up by the opposition. Now, all we get are non responses and ridicule of the opposition from the govt. of the day. Why isn't the MSM holding the govt. to account by doing some investigative reporting on where, when and how those so-called stimulus billions are being spent. Instead, all we get is rah rah about Harper's tinkling the keys.

By: Gaunilon

Gaunilon — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 17:00:07 +0000

Looks like he took out the extra "not".

By: Gaunilon

Gaunilon — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 16:59:22 +0000

yep, and the "not" actually contradicts what Wherry intended to say… I think…

By: Garbage Catcher

Garbage Catcher — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 13:31:29 +0000

Bahahahahahaahahahah! No one here is smaller than you, Joan. That comment was ridiculous.

By: frenchie101

frenchie101 — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 12:44:53 +0000

Oh my , how the liberals are funny when they are dropping like flies in the polls That green eyed monster is called jealousy, and it wont back away.I bet you right now the conservatives have some liberals wanting to cross over, they see the writing on the wall. Iggy could sing, it's MY party and I will cry If I want to,and you know, he will.

By: OntarioTown

OntarioTown — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 11:26:19 +0000

They sure as hell aren't fulfilled by Harper. I find it funny to be called a partisan by partisans.

By: peimac

peimac — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 09:55:53 +0000

Why not add some real drama and hire some unemployed writers to spice up the proceedings a bit? Couldn't be any worse than Reality Television or what the opposition is passing for intelligent questioning.( The governments answers are already scripted so little will change there.)

By: dan in van

dan in van — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 06:41:22 +0000

Unfortunately, the domain of Opposition has been traditionally negative-ville. There were few who could match Mean Mister Mustard himself when it came to frowning and complaining from the other side of the house. Heck, he even stooped to writing letters to the Wall Street Journal to continue his whinging, after he'd used up his supply of John Howard speeches…

By: kcm

kcm — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 04:02:10 +0000

Agreed. White album rocks!

By: austinso

austinso — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 03:22:42 +0000

"everybody's got something to hide 'cept for me and my monkey"…or…"piggies"…?

By: William

William — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 03:20:00 +0000

As a Lib partisan, would you say that all your hopes and dreams are fulfilled by the Negative Man Iggy ?

By: OntarioTown

OntarioTown — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 02:27:22 +0000

Your expectations – uh, huh…..complete biased and partisan. And, arrogant…..as if Wherry should be even worry about your expectations.

With what you Con partisans accept from Harper, you don't have very high expectations.

By: OntarioTown

OntarioTown — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 02:23:47 +0000

Perhaps it's time to change that. Get rid of the excuse not to answer. In Britain it's called Question Time – yet they get answers.

By: Joan Tintor

Joan Tintor — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 01:57:33 +0000

"you might assume he’d personally negotiated the surrender of the Taliban, or at least convinced Gary Bettman to move a hockey team to Hamilton"

On the 70th anniversary of "The Wizard of Oz," Aaron displays his Munchkin-surpassing smallness. Thanks for always stooping to my expectations.

By: Ted

Ted — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 01:48:45 +0000

"Happiness… is a warm gun" perhaps?

Or "Taxman", with all his tax increases?

By: Ted

Ted — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 01:47:09 +0000

And the whopping $20 million that will save.

He could save even more if he cut the even bigger and more unfair taxpayer subsidy of the huge tax deduction for political donations. The per vote subsidy ties subsidy to voter intentions and voter support; whereas the tax deduction subsidy results in non-Conservative taxpayers subsidizing Conservatives.

I wonder why Harper supports cutting one and not the other?

That is a rhetorical question, in case there was any doubt.

By: Terren

Terren — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 01:44:18 +0000

Harper still sucks.

By: Blues Clair

Blues Clair — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 01:43:30 +0000

Hey, that yellow submarine quip was pretty good.

By: Anon

Anon — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 01:34:10 +0000

Profound opening sentence there, AW. But you may be confusing expressions of "being impressed" to the real thing.

Funny thing is that nobody talked about the actual reason for the NAC gala, the charities it is supposed to help. It all became about Harper, much like the Conservative party site or actionplan.gc.ca.

Maybe, AW, the political class isn't bored with itself. Maybe, it's just blissfully obsessed with itself.

By: Wascally Wabbit

Wascally Wabbit — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 01:14:01 +0000

Sorry Dick – wrong song – he should have been singing "Fool on the Hill"!

By: Dick Richards

Dick Richards — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 00:52:14 +0000

Conservatives are sure flying high now, but when it comes time to pay the piper, Stephen Harper might be singing a very different Beatles tune "Yesterday, my problems seemed so far away"

By: danby

danby — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 00:18:48 +0000

One of the first ones to be cut will be the funding to all the parties based on their share of the vote.
SH loves to kick sand in faces

By: s_c_f

s_c_f — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 00:07:29 +0000

Let it never be said that reason and inquiry are not incompatible with Ringo Starr jokes.

Holy toledo, that sentence has a triple negative! That ain't got no sense nowhere!

By: PoliticalPundit

PoliticalPundit — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 00:03:52 +0000

Perhaps it is rhetorical, but only if the Prime Minister refuses to do his job and provide an honest response! Highly unlikely because he prefers partisan jibes to honest information.

Canadians are now facing a massive structural deficit that will force tax increases if the government wants to protect Canada's credit rating and its ability to borrow down the road. Canada could hit the proverbial wall once again as it did in 1992-93 when the money markets threatened a capital strike if Canada refused to reign in its ballooning deficit and debt.

PM Harper, once he has his majority, will cut programs of all kinds as well as raising EI premiums as Martin did in the 1990s.

By: PoliticalPundit

PoliticalPundit — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 23:58:38 +0000

What exactly is there to be jealous of?

By: PoliticalPundit

PoliticalPundit — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 23:57:33 +0000

I concur!

By: s_c_f

s_c_f — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 23:54:55 +0000

By those same standards, similar huzzahs are almost certainly due to the leader of the opposition

I fail to follow the logic. Apparently asking a question in the House is equivalent to playing the piano in an NAC concert?

By: Dakota

Dakota — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 23:32:23 +0000

I think Wherry is jealous of Harper.

By: John W.

John W. — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 23:26:09 +0000

What a great opening paragraph Mr. Wherry. I wish your media colleagues would all read it.

By: SisyphusThis

SisyphusThis — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 23:24:53 +0000

I watched this circus today for the first time in years and I believe it to be
one of the rare examples of truth in advertising …
It is called Question Period.
It is not called Question and Answer Period.

By: Jonathan

Jonathan — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 23:06:12 +0000

"…will the government finally admit to Canadians that it has taken this country back into a structural deficit?"

Sorry, but how is this not completely rhetorical?