Canadian Conservatives refuse to go to work - AGAIN

[JDenver]

http://www.cbc.ca/politics/story/2009/12/30/parliament-prorogation-harper.html

For the second time in 2 years, the federal Conservatives in Canada shut down the work of our parliament by 'proroguing' it, meaning closing it. It will re-open in 2 months, not until March. 30 bills on the dockit have now been eliminated and will need to be re-introduced, many of them were supposedly 'important'.

After a serious scandal to the ruling Liberal party in Canada, Conservatives were voted into a minority situation on the promise of accountability and transparency. Guess what? They have been the most secretive, most malicious, and now, the most undemocratic party Canada has seen in decades. Closing down the work of parliament for 2 months?!

Many believe they are doing it to avoid a House committee that is looking into the torture and abuse of Afghan detainees. Nice.

 

[Ramirez]

http://www.cbc.ca/politics/story/2009/12/30/parliament-prorogation-harper.html

For the second time in 2 years, the federal Conservatives in Canada shut down the work of our parliament by 'proroguing' it, meaning closing it. It will re-open in 2 months, not until March. 30 bills on the dockit have now been eliminated and will need to be re-introduced, many of them were supposedly 'important'.

After a serious scandal to the ruling Liberal party in Canada, Conservatives were voted into a minority situation on the promise of accountability and transparency. Guess what? They have been the most secretive, most malicious, and now, the most undemocratic party Canada has seen in decades. Closing down the work of parliament for 2 months?!

Many believe they are doing it to avoid a House committee that is looking into the torture and abuse of Afghan detainees. Nice.

I have no idea how anyone as arrogant, vicious, manipulative, petulant, spiteful and I believe incompetent (cutting the GST in face of a looming recession, telling Canadians the way to deal with the recession was to take advantage of buying opportunities...) is riding so high in the polls.


If you look at Harper's history, he is spectacularly unaccomplished, he has spent his life as a political hanger on, I think his only private industry job was as coffee boy at a oil company after he flushed out of the University of Toronto.

 

[Ken Morgan]

Guys, its a minority government. If the opposition doesn't like it, when they get back drop the government at the first chance.

 

[Ramirez]

Guys, its a minority government. If the opposition doesn't like it, when they get back drop the government at the first chance.

I think the future will either be coalitions or perhaps the NDP and Liberals will form one party, Bob Rae has been trying to fold the NDP into the Liberals for years and the two parties are closer now than ever.

Say what you want about the Chretien government, they left the country in great shape, in fact I would argue it is their governing that left Canada in one of the better positions to handle the global recession not Harper.

 

[JDenver]

Guys, its a minority government. If the opposition doesn't like it, when they get back drop the government at the first chance.

Yet, knowing that they're down in the polls, you know full well they won't and can't do this. The opposition parties clearly don't like this. Neither do I. Neither do Canadians who actually think our parties should do some work.

I can't recall a more ridiculous, spiteful, arrogant thing in Canadian politics as simply proroguing parliament each year to avoid accountability. It's embarrassing (and before this is dismissed as politically motivated hate speech from me, I don't vote Liberal).

 

[Ken Morgan]

A coalition is possible because that is the only way the Jack & Gillies can weld any type of power, they can never form government. Trust me though, at the first sign of a strong Liberal minority or majority, Iggy will throw Jack and Gillies over and call an election.

An NDP Liberal merger can never happen. The Liberals know that this is all temporary and sometime in the future they will be back in power. The core base from both parties simply will not do it. Any merger will in its wake create another fringe party, that will again split the vote.

Well it can be argued that it was Mulroney who brought in the GST and got rid of the manufacturing tax. That drove our country into surplus to begin with. The revenue for the GST was something like 40% greater then expected. Oh wait a minute, didn’t Jean campaign on getting rid of the GST? Yes, yes he did.

Sorry all the jobs created since the early 1990’s have been low wage, service jobs. The manufacturing sector is gone, and until someone figures out how to bring it all back, most new jobs are crap. I don’t blame Jean, Paul or Stephen for that.

 

[Ken Morgan]

Yet, knowing that they're down in the polls, you know full well they won't and can't do this. The opposition parties clearly don't like this. Neither do I. Neither do Canadians who actually think our parties should do some work.

I can't recall a more ridiculous, spiteful, arrogant thing in Canadian politics as simply proroguing parliament each year to avoid accountability. It's embarrassing (and before this is dismissed as politically motivated hate speech from me, I don't vote Liberal).

What do you mean not doing work? Do you really think that two hours of question period a day is what MP’s do??? And if they’re not there they sit on their collective asses?

99% of the work MP’s do is out of the chambers.

 

[Ramirez]

Well it can be argued that it was Mulroney who brought in the GST and got rid of the manufacturing tax. That drove our country into surplus to begin with.

Canada was an economic basket case at the end of Mulroney's run.

Rather than respond to all your points, I'll point you to this Frum column.

http://www.nationalpost.com/opinion/columnists/story.html?id=02b5004d-c249-4792-8606-5b22b4994db0

 

[JDenver]

What do you mean not doing work? Do you really think that two hours of question period a day is what MP’s do??? And if they’re not there they sit on their collective asses?

99% of the work MP’s do is out of the chambers.

You're right that MP's being in their ridings is important. However, are you trying to spin this as a 'good' thing? I don't recall ANY party in 30 years so transparently avoiding the work of committees by closing down parliament.

It's a juvenile and smug action, contemptuous of the work of committees. Not shocking I suppose, since Conservatives circulated pamphlets explaining to their MP's exactly how to disrupt the work of committees.

It's so ugly. Much uglier than Chretien saying he'd abolish the GST. MUCH UGLIER.

 

[Ramirez]

Ken, I have no illusions about Martin/Chretien, Martin trying revisionist history right now presenting himself as a populist is the biggest joke, he was Bay Street's best friend.

I will give them points for competence though, I recall one of Harper's advisors saying how surpluses were a sign that taxes were too high.

WTF? There is good reason why the Liberals were booking surpluses and paying down debt, the demographics of a shrinking tax base as the baby boomers retire. Somehow health and education is going to have to be funded with a less money around.

Harper seems to have ignored the demographic tsunami that is on it's way, around 2015 if I recall correctly from my actuarial exams.

 

[yorkshirelad]

I have no idea how anyone as arrogant, vicious, manipulative, petulant, spiteful and I believe incompetent (cutting the GST in face of a looming recession, telling Canadians the way to deal with the recession was to take advantage of buying opportunities...) is riding so high in the polls.


If you look at Harper's history, he is spectacularly unaccomplished, he has spent his life as a political hanger on, I think his only private industry job was as coffee boy at a oil company after he flushed out of the University of Toronto.

So I take it your not in any way patrisan:rofl: