Posts Tagged by contempt
The Election is First About Contempt
| 4/5/2011 | Posted by Patti under Canadian Politics |
Well, it’s now just over a week into the six week election campaign. The leaders of the various parties are busy crisscrossing the country telling us what they are going to do. Like we actually will believe everything they say.
The challenge is to cut through the rhetoric to find the truth. The truth of course is also dependent on the perspective of the person perceiving it. I found it rather surprising the number of people I’ve encountered who believe the government was brought down over their budget. While the budget was not about to get support, it was not what brought the government down.
The government was brought down because they were found by the opposition to be in contempt of Parliament. The government’s contempt was specifically their ongoing refusal to provide full costing figures for expensive legislation they wanted the Opposition to support. It is the first time in our history a government has been found to be in contempt.
In general, Harper has shown nothing but contempt and disdain for our Parliamentary system since he arrived on the Hill. He uses it for his own ends and runs roughshod over anyone or anything standing in his way. This Canadian is bloody tired of it. (more…)
KAIROS Doc Is No Longer About Funding
| 2/17/2011 | Posted by Patti under Canadian Politics |
It has become increasingly clear that for sure Bev Oda, Minister for International Cooperation, needs to resign or be fired. It has also become increasingly clear that Prime Minister Harper is going to stand behind her no matter how much subterfuge it is going to take.
We’ve learned in the last week that the ‘NOT’ which was inserted into the KAIROS document was done so on Oda’s orders. She may choose to split hairs over whether she knew who exactly picked up the pen and did so, but she had full knowledge the document was being altered. Therein lies the issue. Therein also lies a question.
The issue is that Oda knew the document had been changed and at what point. It was after the two CIDA officials had signed off. The issue is NOT if she made a decision to grant funding to KAIROS ornot. She has the right to make a decision, even if it disagrees with the recommendations of the CIDA officials. The fact she made the decision and then mislead the house and the Foreign Relations committee about the circumstances of the decision, THAT is the issue. (more…)
Opposition Goes After the Stalling
| 3/23/2010 | Posted by Patti under Canadian Politics |
Every now and again it becomes necessary for those elected to conduct the business of our democracy to be reminded of who they are supposed to represent. The people elect a Parliament who then forms a government and an official opposition based on which party received the most seats.
This seems like a pretty basic principle to know and to understand. The Prime Minister is subject to the will of Parliament, who is subject to the will of the people. When the Opposition parties voted on a motion back in December ordering the government to produce unredacted documents pertaining to the detainee issue, the response should have been pretty straightforward in adherence with the basic principle of Parliament.
The government has tried to throw a blanket claim of ‘national security’ around the affair and are refusing to release the documents. They didn’t even bother trying to go through the motions of trying to reach an agreement with the majority vote, they just stonewalled and then Harper prorogued the House.
Eventually the birds have to come home to roost and Parliament had to reconvene. Harper seemed to think that the December motion would be ignored, the Opposition rendered unable or unwilling to act. He’s wrong. Last Thursday the Liberals, followed by the NDP and the Bloc, rose to call on the Speaker of the House to rule on the motion. They have motions of their own which could lead to the Government being found in contempt of Parliament. (more…)
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