What is an Immigration Bill Doing in a Budget Bill?
| 3/25/2008 | Posted by Patti under Canadian Politics |
Slipped inside a budget implementation bill is changes to the immigration system which some claim could lead to the Minister of Immigration having unprecedented authority to interfere in the system’s operation without oversight from any other source. It would allow the minister to do things like fast tracking certain applicants or denying others that have already been approved.
Not only is that level of power grabbing being allowed disturbing, but no one has explained why it is appropriate to have it inside a budget implementation bill. Am I to understand that the government of the day can simply stick whatever legislative changes they want to make into any bill and the members of the House have to scramble to find them? What kind of law making is that?
The budget implementation bill is considered to be a confidence issue, which means that voting it down over something like this apparently inappropriate content would trigger an election. Is that the idea? Any legislation that the government perceives may face stiff opposition just gets buried in something that is considered to be a confidence matter so the Liberals either have to stand up and take a stand or slink into the shadows?
I’m getting more than a little weary with a minority government getting away with ruling like a majority simply because the official opposition is wary of trusting the electorate to make an effective choice. Thinking Canadians are not likely to continue to be impressed with a little dictator who bullies his people and imposes gag orders on them to the point that they are like little puppets when any of them do speak. The longer the Liberals go on sitting on their hands while the Harperites dictate to this country the more Canadians are going to be forced to choose between a dictator or a waffler.
I don’t like either choice.
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