The Commons: Do you know where your $3.1 billion went?
By Aaron Wherry - Wednesday, May 1, 2013 - 0 Comments
After some fussing from the fussy David Christopherson over the fuzzy nature of the last federal election, Nycole Turmel returned to the fore to wonder aloud about the precise location and utility of some $3.1 billion in funding originally allocated for the purposes of preventing terrorist attacks.
“Mr. Speaker, Conservatives are saying that losing track of $3.1 billion is no big deal,” she reported. “The Prime Minister says there is a lack of clarity. The President of the Treasury Board says it was the Liberals’ fault.”
Across the way, Tony Clement, the president in question, furrowed his brow and appeared confused, perhaps not quite agreeing with Ms. Turmel’s account in his regard. (Perhaps he didn’t so much blame the Liberals, as merely note their complicity.)
“However,” Ms. Turmel continued, “let me read this quote: ‘One would think there would be some element of shame regarding today’s report, but there is none whatsoever.’ That was the Prime Minister talking about the Liberal boondoggle in 2005.”
And, in the interests of consistency, that previous rush to judgment should serve as the model now.
“So,” Ms. Turmel asked, “is the Prime Minister now ready to show some contrition?”
If he was, it was not obviously conveyed in words. Continue…
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Will the seven-point plan be enough to prevent a Russian invasion?
By Aaron Wherry - Friday, December 7, 2012 at 12:10 PM - 0 Comments
This morning’s QP has just concluded. The F-35 procurement was, predictably, a particular point of opposition concern. Below, a sampling.
Jack Harris. Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives don’t even know how to cancel a project properly. The deliberations of a cabinet committee on operations has been leaked and after years of defending the F-35s in the most insulting way to anybody who commented, the government will now reportedly restart the whole process, as the NDP has demanded for years. This issue has shown the worst of Conservative mismanagement. Will they stop these backroom leaks and share the truth with Canadians and release and table the KPMG report today?
Jacques Gourde. Mr. Speaker, we are determined to continue with our seven-point plan and our exhaustive and transparent process to replace the CF-18s. The government has received the KPMG report and it is examining it. The government will talk about this publicly before the end of this Parliament.
Jack Harris. Mr. Speaker, Canadians deserve to know the truth and yet the Conservatives have been hiding the truth from Canadians for years. The cabinet leaks are everywhere, the KPMG report is supposedly out, there’s a program here that no one will defend and now costs are estimated to be north of $40 billion. A litany of Conservative failure and mismanagement. When will they come clean, admit their misguided plan has failed and finally agree to have an open and transparent competition? Continue…
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Just a number
By Aaron Wherry - Friday, May 27, 2011 at 9:01 AM - 5 Comments
Behold, our baby-faced new Parliament.
Samara and a group of volunteers–Janet Rodriguez, Tyler Somers, and Sarah Somerton–have been compiling information on the new MPs, including their year of birth. This information has proved enlightening. For instance, the average age of an MP taking office in the 40th Parliament was 52. The average age of an MP taking office in the 41st Parliament is 51 … And our new MPs are also a year younger than their more seasoned counterparts were when they entered politics. Given this information, perhaps the media’s focus on the youth of the new Parliament is a little exaggerated.
Nonetheless, a few points of interest. Continue…
