Kady does a fine job detailing how this prorogue is much more than an extended three week vacation. MONTHS of work has died, and on top of that a colossal waste of taxpayer money. Studies for Committee work are now obsolete, that expenditure goes POOF. All those supposed urgent bills, clowns like Nicholson rushing to the cameras, demanding immediate passage of CRUCIAL legislation, now revealed a FARCE of the highest order. Don't review the words of the opposition, review the words of the government about the importance of it all.
I find it quite telling that Conservatives seem unable to debate the actual merits of this decision, and the REAL implications. Willful ignorance or deliberate denial, they are left to present an affront to the most basic common sense. Keep hammering the "22 days" angle, it demonstrates nothing more than weakness of argument and deliberate evasion. Then again, what else is new, depth is like kryptonite to that crowd.
22 comments:
I am waiting to hear what Harper has to say tonight with Peter Mansbridge. I wonder how he will finagle out of this one?
Of the 33 bills Harper killed, 17 had not even received second reading in the House, 8 were in House committees, 5 or so were being held up by the Conservatives and only 3 were even in the Senate.
The Harper Holiday killed over half his fall agenda. Crime bills. Consumer protection bills. Election reform bills. Some of these had already been introduced two or even three times before.
Harper is good at introducing bills with lots of fanfare and attention. He's just not so good at getting things done.
Great post, Steve! Even though you are not-a-terribly-prominent-blogger, {:)} I have recommended your post and stole the prorogue image and added it to my blog!
I'm with Christian: a very fine post. My thanks for pointing out Cady O'Malley's wel-considered piece.
Did you create the image of Harper with the world cloud? Can I use it?
Impolitical had it up, I pasted it from there. By all means...
You what's neat? Go to the FB group here, put your mouse on refresh and watch the numbers climb. Like the deficit clock ;)
The way I understand it, prorogation is used to wind up a Parliamentary session when the government's agenda is finished.
I my humble opinion, Harper is perfectly justified in proroguing Parliament. His agenda for this session IS finished.
Harper has:
- destroyed Canada's national nuclear program and prepared to sell off its assets;
- stomped on our capacity to produce medical isotopes, thus putting more pressure on our strained medical system;
- fired and crushed all whistleblowers and the bureaucracy in general;
- crippled our national food inspection agency's ability to ensure the safety of our food;
- ignored Canada's international environmental treaty obligations;
- been left out of the room in new international climate change talks;
- set up his friends in big oil to reap huge benefits from weak or nonexistent environmental regulations;
- made Canada one of, if not the worst of the G20 countries in terms of its environment policies;
- ignored Parliament and by doing so further reduced Canadian's democratic representation;
- demonstrated absolutely no accountability or oversight on how Canadian troops transfer Afghan detainees;
- ignored his own fixed election laws, then calls an election and then tells Canadians that they don't want another election, only to probably try to engineer a third election in the Spring (when Canadians will, for some unexplainable reason, suddenly "want" an election);
- doled out billions in alleged "stimulus" spending, while putting Canada no further ahead in terms of its national interests;
- bankrupt the federal government with reckless GST cuts;
- instigated the HST with his Conservative brothers, Dalton and Gordon;
- used the Courts to bully and silence critics, opponents and most disturbingly, Canada's regulators and government oversight bodies like Kevin Page, Elections Canada, the Military Complaints Commission, Linda Keen, Richard Colvin, the Wheat Board, Stephane Dion, The Liberal Party, etc . . . etc . . .
I don't know what everyone is talking about. This was a full Parliamentary agenda and for God's sake, we need to let Harper get some rest so he can prepare for a bigger, better agenda when he gets a majority!!!
You do make a forceful rebuttal.
Over 39500 people now on the anit-prorogue facebook site. That's a lot of angry voters.
Now, are the Libs going to capitalize on this or sleep through it?
Make it 40000.
In his own words:
“When a government starts trying to cancel dissent or avoid dissent is frankly when it’s rapidly losing its moral authority to govern.”
- Stephen Harper, Canadian Press, April 18, 2005
Wow, Harper doing an interview, Soudras on CBC. Trying to stay ahead of a perceived problem? Nah.
If he is not doing one with Mansbridge it does not count.
Is Soudras the guy who replaced Don Newman? Don't like him. Too many soft balls.
Rick Mercer tweet:
After proroguing parliament for the olympics Harper should prorogue for the play offs. Go Canada.
Mon, 04 Jan 2010 22:59:02
Sorry Soudas, the PMO spinmeister
43500 now. About 2000 joining per hour.
Doh!
It's climbing very quickly, you're right about the refresh button: it's like a hope-o-meter changing gears. It was approaching 57,000 when I left and it's probably climbed past that since.
Refresh the nation.
This is going to grow into tomorrow's top news story. And, tee hee, the word verification to post this comment if prologr. Let's grow many of this wonderous common causes during the Olympics, the foreign media always does colour stories on the host nation, let's be there colour. How about a group called Canadians Who Do Care about Afghan Detainees ?
Signed, Jerry Prologr.
Liberals get frisky, will show up for work on the 25th.
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