The Commons: In Review

By Aaron Wherry - Monday, June 23, 2008 at 4:44 PM - 0 Comments

The best, worst and merely laughable of the recently completed Parliamentary session

The Scene. Late last week, at the press conference he’d called to formally reject the Liberal green plan he hadn’t bothered to read, Jason Kenney was asked to account for his government’s tone—the language with which it had chosen to engage the current debate.

“I don’t think that Canadians are so humourless and earnest,” he posited, “that they reject humour in political discourse.”

There are at least two problems with this assessment.

At the outset, it assumes that what Mr. Kenney’s had to say has been particularly funny. This is, by most objective standards, a stretch. His particular line on the Liberal carbon tax relies on the fact that the word “shift” sounds something like a swear. While perhaps uproarious when compared with other discussions around here—so many of them having to do with war and poverty and other sufferings—most of us ceased finding this pun particularly hilarious around the first time we kissed a girl (or boy, as it were).

But, in fairness to Mr. Kenney, let’s pretend his comedic stylings on this front have been the stuff of a night at the Apollo. Even if that were the case, so, er, what? Continue…

The Commons: Stéphane Dion introduces himself, again

By Aaron Wherry - Thursday, June 19, 2008 at 6:54 PM - 0 Comments

‘The Canadian people is ready to do the right thing’

The Scene. By midday, the Liberal leader was getting a bit ahead of himself, referring in the third-person hypothetical to “Prime Minister Dion.”

You might forgiven him that bullishness though. For this was likely his happiest day since that night in Montreal. Not that there is a great supply of good days with which to compare what transpired today.

To set the stage though we turn first to the afternoon before. Chatting with reporters after QP, David McGuinty was asked to cast forward toward the Liberal plan to come. And without giving away any of the surprises—details of what we would come to know as the “Green Shift” were already being leaked all over Ottawa anyway—he did as good a job as any have done so far of making the case for his leader.

“We’re going to do what Mr. Dion’s always done,” he said, “which is to, you know, be strong, be sincere, be thoughtful.”

If Her Majesty’s Opposition has figured out the point of Stéphane Dion, this is probably it: He is not Stephen Harper. It surely ain’t much. But with two-thirds of the population fairly certain they don’t want to vote for the sitting Prime Minister, it might be enough. Continue…

The Commons: ‘I think you’re full of shift!’

By Aaron Wherry - Wednesday, June 18, 2008 at 6:52 PM - 0 Comments

The Government of Canada appeals directly to your most juvenile impulses

The Scene. Question Period had begun and Liberal Ujjal Dosanjh was asking the government to account for the unwieldy matter of Julie Couillard and the upright citizens brigade in the Conservative back row was displeased.

“No one cares!” lamented Dean Del Mastro.

“Let’s talk about policy!” pleaded Ed Fast.

Just moments earlier, their seatmate, the reliably obedient Rick Dykstra, had tried to do just that. Here, from his member statement, was his take on environmental taxation, the politics and practicalities of distributing wealth across civil and economic lines and how best the federal government can balance short-term necessities with long-term social sustainability.

“There is an old saying that it is better to light a candle than curse the darkness,” Dykstra reported, “but if the leader of the opposition formed government, if he imposed a carbon tax, our country would face a wall of darkness.”

Nearly 50 years ago this July, John F. Kennedy referred to the same old saying upon accepting the Democratic nomination. Here was what he found in that proverb. Continue…

The Commons: The Apology

By Aaron Wherry - Thursday, June 12, 2008 at 12:08 AM - 0 Comments

A day of many words. And perhaps some promise.

The Scene. The moment came later than expected. Indeed, according to the official itinerary, the Prime Minister was due to start speaking at precisely 3:02 pm. But it was not until fully 3:15 pm that everyone was seated and Stephen Harper was called by the Speaker to begin.

He strode into the House of Commons with 11 representatives of the native community—last among them 104-year-old Marguerite Wabano, the eldest remaining survivor of Canada’s residential schools, tiny and dressed all in blue, a cane in one hand and her granddaughter by her side. Behind the Prime Minister walked Chuck Strahl, Minister of Indian Affairs, and Strahl’s parliamentary secretary Rod Bruinooge, himself an aboriginal Canadian.

The delegates took their seats in the centre aisle, positioned in a circle before the Prime Minister. Government House leader Peter Van Loan, as demure and dainty as he may ever be, stood and moved that time be allotted for response from these visitors to this place. Each party duly consented and the motion carried unanimously.

Mr. Harper then stood, laid out his script on the green velvet lectern placed on his desk and, finally, began.

“Mr. Speaker, I stand before you today to offer an apology to former students of Indian residential schools,” he started, simply enough. “Today, we recognize that this policy of assimilation was wrong, has caused great harm and has no place in our country.”

Not for the last time, a packed Commons stood and applauded, hoots, hollers and the beat of drums coming down from the galleries above. Continue…

The Commons: Inside the Bernier hearings

By Aaron Wherry - Tuesday, June 10, 2008 at 3:08 PM - 0 Comments

With little else better to do between 3:30 and 5:30 this afternoon, The Commons is going to kill a couple of hours at Day One of what we’ll wildly tout as the Bernier hearings. Appearing first is Michael Juneau-Katsuya, the oft-quoted former CSIS agent. The last hour and 15 minutes will be split between a pair of RCMP commissioners.

Should be terribly enlightened and chock full of helpful innuendo and leading questions.

Watch this space. The fun shall commence shortly.

3:34 PM
For those of you keeping score at home, we’ve got Bonnie Brown, Sue Barnes, Ujjal Dosanjh and Marlene Jennings for the Liberals; Dave MacKenzie, Gord Brown, Rick Norlock and Colin Mayes for the government, Serge Menard for the Bloc; Penny Priddy for the NDP. And one member from the BQ whose name escapes. Surely their mother watching at home are thrilled.

3:43 PM
Michel Juneau-Katsuya opens with his assertion that this is not at all a matter of Mr. Bernier’s private life.

3:45 PM
Unexpected reference to J. Edgar Hoover.

Continue…

The Commons: Stubborn Stéphane

By Aaron Wherry - Monday, June 9, 2008 at 9:21 PM - 0 Comments

Neither cowardly nor spineless, this man is most certainly a mule

The Scene. If nothing else now, let there be no more suggestion that Stéphane Dion is a wimp. A wuss. A pussy cat of a man. Indeed, if it’s animal metaphors you traffic in, he is neither the rat his sovereigntist opponents once thought him, nor the spineless jellyfish (an amorphous blob drifting along, prone to stinging well-intentioned swimmers with sudden tax hikes) these Conservatives have exhaustively made him out to be.

No, Mr. Dion is most certainly a mule. Stubborn, steadfast and undaunted at the prospect of suffering and burden. Surely there is no more appropriate description of the man we presently see before us. Continue…

The Commons: The Prime Minister gets all hot and bothered

By Aaron Wherry - Wednesday, June 4, 2008 at 6:29 PM - 0 Comments

Helpfully, Peter Van Loan cools him off with a glass of water

The Scene. Someone somewhere the other day was lamenting the Prime Minister’s appearance. Not his physical condition mind you—on the contrary, as the Globe exhaustively explained some weeks ago, the PM is down several pant sizes and eyeing the 2010 Olympics.

No, the concern expressed was for the man’s apparent spirits. Seems the Prime Minister’s been looking a bit down lately. Slouching a bit more dejectedly than usual, perhaps.

Ah, but let us never doubt the resiliency of this future decathlete. For no sooner had he begun to seem in desperate need of vacation, then he roused himself—bringing to life once more the vicious partisan this country first fell sort of in love with two years ago.

That the morning brought salacious accusations of forgery and hoax and Chuck Cadman is surely coincidence. Continue…

The Commons: A remarkable, if insignificant, vote

By Aaron Wherry - Tuesday, June 3, 2008 at 6:30 PM - 0 Comments

Parliament, in a roundabout way, passes judgment on the war in Iraq

The Scene. Yeas 137, Nays 110. The morning papers, let alone history, may make little mention of that tally, but there you have it. In a format sports fans can understand, here is the closest this Parliament of Canada may ever get to an explicit and complete denunciation of the war in Iraq.

The Speaker called the members in shortly after 3 pm this afternoon and, as luck would have it, most were already there, having just sat through another spirited session of Question Period. (In case you were wondering, the government would still rather you stop asking about the former foreign affairs minister’s choice of date.) What proceeded was altogether unbecoming so seemingly momentous a moment.

Liberal leader Stéphane Dion had packed up his things and was on his way out when party whip Karen Redman reminded him of his democratic responsibility. He turned and sat back down. The Prime Minister was not so encumbered, government whip Jay Hill apparently powerless to keep Mr. Harper from slipping away quietly before the vote could be taken. Continue…

The Commons: The boys are back in town

By Aaron Wherry - Monday, June 2, 2008 at 5:42 PM - 0 Comments

The Prime Minister and his loyal Doberman return to rouse the government lads

The Scene. As is his habit, Stephen Harper slouched. As Question Period began, he leaned back on only his left elbow. Later, he settled on both.

He appeared satisfied. Relaxed. Undisturbed. Content.

Indeed, with he and John Baird freshly returned to the House after a week away for each, there was a certain air of confidence in numbers. The boys club—Peter, John, Jason, Jay, Stockwell, Rob, PVL and the rest—was back together. Each visibly happy to be in each other’s midst, the bunch of them lounging around the government front benches in their typically dark suits and ties.

Oh sure, this is an administration under seige—one of their brothers lost to the wiles of a female interloper. But to expect obvious signs of concern from this bunch would be to assume a certain seriousness for the business of governing that has blessedly never burdened more than a couple of them. Except of course when the camera turns their way and a furrowed brow or pensive glare must be summoned. Continue…

The Commons: ‘What happened is what happened’

By Aaron Wherry - Thursday, May 29, 2008 at 6:08 PM - 0 Comments

It ain’t much. But it’s the best explanation this government’s got.

The Scene. Oh how cruel and uncaring are these bounds of logic.

“Mr. Speaker, for at least five weeks classified documents about our forces in Afghanistan and our allies at NATO lay open in a private house. The government has failed to explain how such a security breach was allowed to happen and then go undetected for five weeks at least,” Michael Ignatieff surveyed. “The government is either incompetent or it is covering up the truth. Which is it?”

Peter Van Loan, for the 54th time in the last 48 hours, rose to respond. “On the contrary,” he cried, “such a security breach was not allowed. It was not permitted. That is why the Minister of Foreign Affairs, when he took responsibility for the breach that occurred, tendered his resignation.”

Ignatieff repeated his charge. Van Loan restated his dismissal. And so the Liberal deputy was up for a third time.

“Mr. Speaker, that is again telling the House that a gross security breach was discovered on a Sunday night and there was no action until five o’clock the next day,” he said. “It is just not credible.” Continue…

The Commons: Wait for the book

By Aaron Wherry - Thursday, May 29, 2008 at 12:57 AM - 0 Comments

Oh what insights Peter Van Loan might one day bestow upon us

The Scene. Down south, where political reputations are taken quite seriously, the chattering classes are all atwitter about a former White House spokesman’s decision to come forward in book form and detail life in George W. Bush’s midst.

Of course, the post-employment tell-all is something of a tradition in U.S. politics. And not only among those who have a war to denounce. Just before this latest tome was released, Doug Feith, former under secretary for defense, was promoting his own account. A true believer in the Bush doctrine, he even appeared on The Daily Show to rather courageously defend what is now so widely scorned. It was, if nothing else, enlightening.

And at this it is surely tempting to wonder what books may one day emerge from the ranks of this Harper government. Which expressions of patent nonsense will come to be denounced. Which expressions of patent nonsense will come to be redeemed. Continue…

The Commons: The ghosts of statesmen past

By Aaron Wherry - Tuesday, May 27, 2008 at 7:27 PM - 0 Comments

Joe Clark gets his portrait, Maxime Bernier is merely hanged

The Scene. Not that anyone expected to see him within a kilometer of this place, but, for the record, Maxime Bernier was not in his newly-assigned seat when Question Period was declared open at 2:15pm this afternoon.

Which is surely his loss. For he missed quite the show.

Rising with the first query, Stephane Dion’s voice cracked, the leader of the opposition apparently so excited at the prospect of an obvious advantage to claim over his government tormentors.

“Mr. Speaker, five hours before the foreign affairs minister resigned, the Prime Minister said, ‘I don’t take this subject seriously.’ It is true. He did not take this subject seriously and this speaks volumes about the appalling lack of judgment of the Prime Minister. Why was the Prime Minister more interested in protecting his protege than protecting the interests of Canadians?”

The Prime Minister, safely away in France, likely would have objected most to the suggestion that Bernier was any kind of protege. A project, maybe. But a protege? Surely we know better by now than to ever believe this PM would entertain the idea of grooming a rival, let alone one of Mr. Bernier’s capabilities. Continue…

The Commons: Michael Ignatieff is not interested in your cleavage

By Aaron Wherry - Monday, May 26, 2008 at 7:12 PM - 0 Comments

And other news from a fine day for democracy

The Scene. Emerging from the House after Question Period, Michael Ignatieff shuffled slowly to the microphone and, upon arriving at the designated spot, entered a plea of remarkable ignorance.

“This is about the possibility, I say the possibility, of a link between organized crime and airport security in Montreal, right, and the possibility of improper bidding for contracts relating to security. I make no allegations here, I don’t know the facts. That is the point. I want someone in government to establish the facts and establish if there is or is not a link with a minister of the crown,” he explained to reporters only too eager to hear him.

Then this. “I don’t care about her skirts, I don’t care about her cleavage, I don’t care about her past, I don’t care about any of it, it is none of my business quite rightly, but this stuff is not only my business, it is the business of all Canadians.”

There are few certainties in modern life, but here is one: whenever the deputy leader of Her Majesty’s Official Opposition is compelled to clarify his views on the chest presentation of the Foreign Affairs Minister’s former love interest, it is most definitely a good and happy day. Continue…

The Commons: Who’s on first?

By Aaron Wherry - Thursday, May 15, 2008 at 5:53 PM - 0 Comments

This government has a wonderful plan for the military. Just don’t ask them about it.

The Scene. The Liberal frontbench was particularly sparse this day, so it fell to Ralph Goodale to open Question Period. Which was fun, if only because the Liberal leader so stubbornly insists on applying logic to this business of governing.

“Mr. Speaker, when the Government of Canada has a policy on something, it actually writes it down. That was certainly the case with Canada’s defence policy in 2005, a detailed 35-page document. It defined how the Canadian Forces would align with overall foreign policy. It was funded with the biggest investment in National Defence in 20 years,” he began. “On Monday, the Prime Minister swept all of that away in one vacuous speech: no context, no analysis, no details, nothing. Do the Canadian Forces not deserve more respect than such an obvious political stunt?”

The Prime Minister, looking to turn this into a contest of who could yell loudest, came back with assurances. “That announcement and the buildup to it ever since this government was elected has been very well received by the men and women of the Canadian Forces.”

But onward Goodale marched with his facts and figures. “Mr. Speaker, the independent condemnation of the government’s so-called defence policy is virtually universal. It took over two years to produce it. It ended up being nothing more than a letter to the editor of 755 words. It was writing, obviously, at the rate of one word per day. And it cannot give any details and it cannot say whether the cost of the plan is $30 billion or $50 billion or $96 billion. How could it take two years to produce a plan with no details and a price tag no one over there can explain?”

Au contraire, said the Prime Minister. “Mr. Speaker, let me explain it to the honourable member since he obviously did not bother to read. The $30 billion…”

Let’s pause right there to review the situation so far. Continue…

The Commons: ‘Unacceptable, extreme, odious’

By Aaron Wherry - Wednesday, May 14, 2008 at 6:09 PM - 0 Comments

But enough about the government, what shall we do with Roméo Dallaire?

The Scene. Making use of her allotted time before Question Period, Marlene Jennings chose to publicly enunciate all the ways in which Roméo Dallaire and Jason Kenney are quite unlike each other.

“Mr. Speaker, Lieutenant-General Roméo Dallaire holds the Order of Canada, the Order of Military Merit, Ordre national du Québec, the Meritorious Service Cross and the Canadian Forces’ decorations,” she began. “The Secretary of State for Multiculturalism does not.”

“General Dallaire graduated with a bachelor of science from Collège militaire royal de Saint-Jean and was commissioned into the Canadian armed forces. The Secretary of State did not earn a degree and did not serve in the Canadian armed forces.

“General Dallaire has a school named after him in Winnipeg and a street named after him in Calgary. The Secretary of State does not.

“General Dallaire holds the Pearson Peace Medal. The Secretary of State does not.

“General Dallaire is an officer in the highest American military decoration for foreigners, the Legion of Merit of the United States. The Secretary of State is not.”

And so on.

“You’re defending him!? You’re defending that?!” cried John Baird as Jennings spoke. “You’re defending those comments?!” Continue…

The Commons: There is no there there

By Aaron Wherry - Tuesday, May 13, 2008 at 6:55 PM - 0 Comments

Behold government as a figment of the Prime Minister’s imagination

The Scene. Shortly before Question Period, the Prime Minister strode into the House, looking refreshed after his trip to Halifax to announce… well, to announce what exactly? An announcement? A thought? A theory? An idea? A projection? A notion?

Nominally, yesterday’s do was billed as Canada’s new military strategy for the next two decades. But, as one columnist put it today, “the complete plan is apparently locked inside Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s brain.”

Perhaps then, the opposition could ask that the government table the Prime Minister’s formidable cranium. It’d be interesting to see that thing transcribed. Though no doubt they’d have to black out the sweary bits. Continue…

The Commons: Jim Flaherty feels your pain

By Aaron Wherry - Monday, May 12, 2008 at 6:18 PM - 0 Comments

Don’t let the finely-tailored suits fool you, these are ministers in touch with the common man

The Scene. News broke in the morning that General Motors, an automobile manufacturer of some repute, was making plans to eliminate another 1,400 jobs in Windsor, Ontario—news perhaps most remarkable in that it confirmed there were still 1,400 jobs in Windsor left to be lost.

So after a few questions on the situation in Burma, Liberal Martha Hall Findlay rose to openly wonder what the government would do about this. Stumbling toward gravitas—Hall Findlay tends to speak slowly and deliberately, but often to the point of seeming confused—the opposition frontbencher eventually arrived at a question, namely what the Finance Minister would say to those Windsorites now facing inevitable lay off.

Jim Flaherty all-but-sniffed his response. “I actually know a lot of auto workers,” he said, “which I doubt the member opposite does.”

Tut. Tut. Continue…

The Commons: Don’t cry for Max

By Aaron Wherry - Thursday, May 8, 2008 at 6:39 PM - 0 Comments

If he’s being treated unfairly, he has only his Prime Minister to blame

The Scene. Say what you will, but these Conservatives can be quite sensitive. At least when it suits them.

When Maxime Bernier walked into the House this afternoon, just moments before the start of Question Period, backbencher Daniel Petit treated him to a one-man standing ovation. Then, as Bernier stood and answered the opposition’s first question, the entire caucus rose to cheer.

Peter MacKay patted the Foreign Affairs Minister on the arm. When Bernier returned to his seat, Jacques Gourde and Laurie Hawn competed to see who could more enthusiastically pat his right shoulder.

Yes, it was all very emotional and righteous and redeeming. Those flipping through the channels this afternoon might’ve come across CPAC and wondered when the parliamentary channel started carrying Oprah.

“Never did I think I would get such a nasty and low attack by an opposition member,” Bernier lamented after Michael Ignatieff had asked if the absent prime minister still had confidence in his lead diplomat. “This is about my private life, the private life in the past of my ex-girlfriend. People’s private lives are none of the member’s business.”

Despite such obvious heartache, the Liberals and Bloc persisted in their questions. John Baird decided the most appropriate response was to boo. Literally.

Continue…

The Commons: ‘Way to go, Skippy’

By Aaron Wherry - Wednesday, May 7, 2008 at 8:06 PM - 0 Comments

Yes, congratulations are in order on another day well diverted

The Scene. It was for awhile there—no word of a lie—proving to be a fairly substantive day.

Opening Question Period, the Liberals opted to raise the matter of Omar Khadr, the young man of some Canadian heritage now residing, under the auspices of global security, in a Guantanamo Bay prison. The opposition parties are of the opinion that Khadr, with due consideration to his age and the precedents of other Western-born detainees, should be brought back to Canada.

It is, at the very least, a position of principle, if not at all a position of great political gain. And as such it was quickly shooed away by the Prime Minister. But months after they promised to champion Khadr’s cause, it was at least redeeming to see the Liberals make a token effort.

Next came the Bloc, Gilles Duceppe going maroon-faced in his denuniciation of the Governor General and her stubborn insistence on speaking in favour of a united Canada when traveling abroad. “This is ridiculous,” he cried. “Monarchy is ridiculous.”

Maybe so. But the Prime Minister surely appreciated the opportunity to announce his love of country, the Liberals rewarding him with a bi-partisan ovation that was reciprocated a moment later when Stephane Dion made his own claim of patriotism. (Though it is perhaps insignificant, it will be noted here that while the Grits and Tories were applauding the Maple Leaf, the NDP caucus, with seemingly the only exception of Peter Stoffer, stayed seated.)
Continue…

The Commons: New day, different story

By Aaron Wherry - Tuesday, May 6, 2008 at 5:18 PM - 0 Comments

Would it surprise you in the least to learn the government has misspoken once more?

The Scene. The Liberals were once more attempting to make something of this access to information business. Amid the rabble, Jason Kenney turned to Dean Del Mastro, one of this government’s more dutiful backbenchers, and asked, with audible sarcasm, how many calls the member’s office had received. Oh, responded Del Mastro, his staff has been inundated. Everyone smiled knowingly.

Ha Ha. Ho Ho. Yes, this business of governing can be quite tedious, can’t it?

A short while later, Conservative Kevin Sorenson shouted a little advice across the aisle for Liberal Scott Brison to pass on to the opposition leader. “Scott,” he cried, “tell him you’ll never win on this one.”

Indeed. Asking the government to account for its changes of policy? Pfft. Isn’t there something more interesting we could discuss? Perhaps the slate of upcoming summer blockbusters. I hear Iron Man is quite good. That Robert Downey Jr. is such a captivating screen presence. And isn’t it so refreshing to see a superhero movie that deals thoughtfully with the realities of our post-9/11 world?

Continue…

The Commons: ‘This is the most secretive government in the history of our country’

By Aaron Wherry - Monday, May 5, 2008 at 5:58 PM - 0 Comments

Stéphane Dion should apologize. For he gives this government too much credit.

The Scene. “This,” Stéphane Dion posited with his third opportunity in Question Period, “is the most secretive government in the history of our country.”

Though perhaps unfair to those scoundrels in the Tupper administration, the Liberal leader later elaborated in a scrum with reporters.

“They are secretive, they, they, they have a mentality where they have a list of enemies and they want to deprive you journalists, deprive researchers, deprive MPs of the opposition of the ability to scrutinize what the government is doing. They have a secretive mentality and you see that again today.”

The specific issue this day was the government’s quiet ixnaying last month of an Access to Information database. And though we thank Mr. Dion for so kindly representing the interests of the press gallery (among others), it is, of course, our solemn duty to correct all misstatements of fact. And in this case, the opposition leader has erred. This is not, in fact, the most secretive government in Canadian history.

Quite the contrary. You see, for a government to be considered highly secretive, it must, in most cases, actually keep its malfeasance to itself. And this government most certainly does not.

Continue…

The Commons: A wee battle

By Aaron Wherry - Thursday, May 1, 2008 at 5:22 PM - 0 Comments

Smilin’ Jim Flaherty and Squeaky Omar Alghabra have at it in a rhetorical smackdown

The Scene. Perhaps because they are both barely tall enough to ride most roller coasters, the lively scrap this week between Liberal backbencher Omar Alghabra and Finance Minister Jim Flaherty has largely escaped notice. Of course, there have been a few controversies to distract one’s mind.

“The world is being turned upside down,” thundered the Bloc’s Michel Guimond on Thursday. “This is through the looking glass.”

He was referring, apparently, to the government’s allegedly dodgy approach to election financing.

A moment later, Jack Layton was up. “It’s smelling like a recession soon,” he observed, raising any number of questions about what odour exactly an economic downturn generally emits.

Next, the Liberals were outlining all the ways in which this Prime Minister is exactly like Richard Nixon.

But let’s not again get off track.

Continue…

The Commons: ‘A bit of respect, please’

By Aaron Wherry - Wednesday, April 30, 2008 at 6:01 PM - 0 Comments

If this government has demonstrated anything, it is that it has little interest in being taken seriously

The Scene. Michael Ignatieff was begging the Prime Minister. “A bit of respect for the institution, please.”

It was to laugh.

A night earlier, the government members of this House voted against a Bloc motion pledging confidence in Elections Canada, the independent institution of Parliament charged with overseeing the democratic process in this country. The motion passed, mind you, but the opposition of 117 Conservative MPs is now recorded for history. (As an aside, the Conservatives have made much of opposition voting habits this session, but their own leader didn’t bother to register his official vote on this one.)

So… what exactly? So the Conservatives won’t recognize the results of any future elections here? So they’ll demand that UN observers be called upon to ensure Elections Canada isn’t fixing the results? What, specifically, are we to take from this government’s public expression of non-confidence in Canadian democracy? Continue…

The Commons: ‘In the kingdom of hypocrisy, the Prime Minister is king’

By Aaron Wherry - Tuesday, April 29, 2008 at 5:44 PM - 0 Comments

The second day of the Pierre Poilievre era goes about as smoothly as the first

The Scene. That Dion fellow, in case you were wondering, was off on a day trip to Quebec City. Meanwhile, Michael Ignatieff couldn’t even wait for the customary applause to die down before launching Question Period.

“Mr. Speaker… Mr. Speaker,” he began, shushing his peers, “the RCMP raided the Conservative Party headquarters. They did not raid our headquarters, and they did not raid anybody else’s headquarters. They raided one party alone.”

As a statement of fact, this was difficult to dispute. On, next, to the question.

“Why?”

But before the Prime Minister could respond, Ignatieff offered an answer.

“Because only the Conservative Party broke the spending limits, only the Conservative Party refused to cooperate with Elections Canada.”

Continue…