Beyond The Commons

 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

We're back. And now we will be going.

by Aaron Wherry on Tuesday, March 22, 2011 9:15pm - 23 Comments

Sometime shortly after 4pm, just in time for the release of the federal budget, our blog platform crashed.

Shortly after 4:30pm, Jim Flaherty finished tabling the budget in the House of Commons.

Shortly after that, Jack Layton announced that the NDP could not support the budget in its present form.

Shortly after that, Mr. Layton said he would be willing to talk with the Prime Minister if the government was open to amending the budget.

Shortly after that, Mr. Flaherty said the government was not open to amending the budget.

And so, very shortly, the government will be defeated in the House of Commons and a federal election will be called.

Tags: , , , , , , ,

Bookmark and Share
  • ScottFeschuk

    If you take away the first sentence, this reads how Hemingway would have actually covered today.

    • David_M.

      boxing match commentary

    • BGLong

      Yes .. we are going across the river … and, yes … we are going into the trees ..

  • Anon

    Ironic, isn't it: Duceppe and Layton brought Harper in, and now they're going to take him out.

    What goes around, etc etc

  • Wherriggy

    Aaron: your boy is going to need you to work for him like you never have before! I know you've been doing your best for a while now, but obviously it hasn't helped him much to date. Flackdom x1000 starts….now!

  • LdKitchenersOwn

    Actually, I'm almost certain that we're going to have an election, and afterwards there will still be no Kelowna Accord and no childcare program.

    I'm pretty sure we'll get the unsourced jets and unneeded prisons though.

    • Anon

      No matter which side gets the most seats, right?

      • LdKitchenersOwn

        I actually just meant that I think the Tories are going to win (another minority), but I do agree that the Kelowna Accord is probably dead no matter what happens. A national childcare plan could still theoretically happen if the Liberals won a minority, but I wouldn't hold my breath (neither while waiting for them to win, nor nor while waiting for them to implement a childcare program if they did).

        As for the jets and the prisons, I think we'd still get the F-35s under the Liberals, they'd just hold the competition the Tories repeatedly promised us before signing the contract. I don't think they'd build the prisons though.

        Should the NDP pull off a miracle I'd say we'd get the childcare for sure, something for the first nations, though likely not Kelowna per se and definitely no F-35s or new prisons.

  • OriginalEmily1

    Someone will likely see the light….but they have to milk the political theater first.

  • wilson

    Mr Wherry, you forgot

    4:15 Ignatieff walks out of the House before the Finance Minister has finished delivering his Budget speech

    Around 5pm Ignatieff declared the Government has lost the confidence of the House,
    such declarations are made 'after' a vote in the House,
    but Ignatieff finds exercises in democracy,
    like party leaders being elected instead of appointed,
    just a waste of his precious time.

  • Thwim

    So.. any bets on proroguement?

  • Richard_S_Argent

    Very interesting day, no? Man, what a time for technical difficulties!

    I'm wondering, anyone remember why BQ say they weren't going to support the budget? For the life of me, I can't recall.

  • David_M.

    Gilles said there was nothing in the budget for QC. So… There is is no way the BQ can support this budg… oh nevermind….

  • Jan

    The HST I believe. Cons said deal couldn't be reached in time.

  • http://secondthots.blogspot.com Dennis_F

    Don't Canadians decide what they get instead of some of you bizarrely triumphant Liberal types?

  • Anon

    "Don't Canadians decide what they get instead of some of you bizarrely triumphant Liberal types?"

    Edit:

    Don't other Canadians decide what they get in addition to some of you bizarrely triumphant Liberal types?

    Last I checked, bizarrely triumphant Liberal types are Canadians too.

  • http://secondthots.blogspot.com Dennis_F

    Please don't edit my thoughts.

    a) This isn't the Soviet Union.

    b) You're off. "Jan" already declared that we won't bet getting "jets" and "prisons." She doesn't decide the matter, does she. Next.

  • Anon

    "She doesn't decide the matter, does she. Next. "

    Oh, I believe she gets one vote in the matter.

    So do I.

    So do you.

    Next.

  • http://secondthots.blogspot.com Dennis_F

    She declared an end to those programs. Have they ended yet simply because she said so? God. Patience, Dennis. Patience!

  • Anon

    Well, given your penchant for literalness, I hope you correct Mr. Feschuk above for thinking Wherry's entry read like Ernest Hemingway… surely he could not know this since he himself is not Ernest Hemingway. Nor is Ernest Hemingway alive to tell us how he would have reported about today.

  • http://secondthots.blogspot.com Dennis_F

    Oh, so now I'm supposed to treat all posts as though they're not literal! "Jan" didn't "literally" mean what she wrote, she was being figurative. Am I being figurative, too? Wait, my prior post wasn't what it appeared to be, and neither was yours! lololol

    You're shoveling deep on this one, dude! Oh! Not literal!! Ha ha ha!!

  • Anon

    Oh, you're fun to rile up. :)

  • http://secondthots.blogspot.com Dennis_F

    Oh, get a life, an argument, and a sense of humour.

Previous

Next

From Macleans