August 2, 2011
Two posts within two days - clearly must be something going on!
Earlier today, the Globe and Mail broke the story that interim NDP leader and Hull-Aylmer MP Nycole Turmel was a member of the Bloc Québécois up until January of this year.
Relatively quickly, those paying attention to Canadian politics took to social media to sound-off on the issue. There are quite a few outside of Québec who don't support the NDP who see this as an issue. Those within the province, it's likely not to bother.
I'm not an NDP supporter and nor am I an apologist for Nycole Turmel; however, at the end of the day this is such a non-issue.
People change their political opinions all the time. We saw it when Belinda Stronach crossed the floor (although, I don't think that was a change of opinion - that was opportunism at its finest). Ditto for David Emerson. Scott Brison was a Progressive Conservative, crossed the floor to the Liberals and ran for the Liberal leadership in 2006.
Hell - the Liberals are currently led by one of the more famous "floor-crossers" of all-time in Bob Rae. If I was a moderate Liberal, I'd be furious that I was now led by a former socialist (insert sarcasm module here).
While I know that the Conservatives will use this issue (unfortunately) to try and score some political points, the Liberals would be stupid to do so. Why?
I hate to do it, but I have to bring up the 2008 attempt by Stéphane Dion to form a coalition between the Liberals and the NDP. The only way that government, if it had formed, to survive would have been to rely on support from the Bloc Québécois caucus. Gilles Duceppe and the Bloc, although not a part of the government, signed the coalition agreement and were planning to support the coalition on confidence measures through until 2011. It was convenient for the Liberal Party, at the time, to utilize the Bloc. Now that this might help them, I've no doubt they'll go on the attack - and they will look foolish for doing it.
This, at the end of the day, is such a non-issue. While it highlights the work that the NDP opposition has to do in order to actually have some credibility, I could care less where you came from as a politician - it's where you want to take the country that matters. If she says she is a federalist, than I believe her.
Showing posts with label Bob Rae. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bob Rae. Show all posts
Tuesday, 2 August 2011
Tuesday, 21 June 2011
The Senate
June 21, 2011
Back to the political topics... The government tabled its legislation to reform the Senate today.
The bill sets out a one-time, nine-year term for all senators appointed after October 14, 2008 and lays out framework for voluntary provincial senatorial elections. While this sort of fulfills the Conservative plan for an elected senate, it may not go far enough for those who want an "E-E-E" upper chamber.
I once supported an elected senate. The more I think about it, though, the more I realize that I think the NDP has the best policy on the Senate: just get rid of it. The Senate has always been a proving ground for rewarding party loyalists, insiders and activists with a plum posting and a set-for-life salary.
Provincial legislatures have survived without an upper chamber; the Senate doesn't really provide the "sober second thought" that it is supposedly tasked with. Instead, it has become a rubber stamp for almost all government legislation (although it will be interesting to see how they handle this bill, if and when it reaches them).
Senatorial elections will not only be difficult to manage, but will (not might - will) create legislative gridlock. Imagine if, at the height of the sponsorship scandal, we somehow elected a Conservative Senate and had a Liberal government in the House of Commons. Surely, legislation would have been stalled and possibly defeated, solely for partisan purposes.
What's more, an elected Senate could become yet another platform for Québec separatists. Yes, I know the recent election results show that the separatist message is being rejected, but we don't know if that will be forever...
So, it's time to forget about reforming the Senate. Let's just get rid of it. I think it's the ultimate austerity measure...
Back to the political topics... The government tabled its legislation to reform the Senate today.
The bill sets out a one-time, nine-year term for all senators appointed after October 14, 2008 and lays out framework for voluntary provincial senatorial elections. While this sort of fulfills the Conservative plan for an elected senate, it may not go far enough for those who want an "E-E-E" upper chamber.
I once supported an elected senate. The more I think about it, though, the more I realize that I think the NDP has the best policy on the Senate: just get rid of it. The Senate has always been a proving ground for rewarding party loyalists, insiders and activists with a plum posting and a set-for-life salary.
Provincial legislatures have survived without an upper chamber; the Senate doesn't really provide the "sober second thought" that it is supposedly tasked with. Instead, it has become a rubber stamp for almost all government legislation (although it will be interesting to see how they handle this bill, if and when it reaches them).
Senatorial elections will not only be difficult to manage, but will (not might - will) create legislative gridlock. Imagine if, at the height of the sponsorship scandal, we somehow elected a Conservative Senate and had a Liberal government in the House of Commons. Surely, legislation would have been stalled and possibly defeated, solely for partisan purposes.
What's more, an elected Senate could become yet another platform for Québec separatists. Yes, I know the recent election results show that the separatist message is being rejected, but we don't know if that will be forever...
So, it's time to forget about reforming the Senate. Let's just get rid of it. I think it's the ultimate austerity measure...
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