The veteran MP said if the budget proves fruitful for Thunder Bay’s new Molecular Medicine Research Centre, he may have no choice but to go against the wishes of Liberal Leader Stephane Dion and support it.“
That (MMRC) money is maybe the most important part of the budget for Thunder Bay,” Comuzzi said.
“That money’s not gonna come through if they’re toppled.”
Since the budget is already going to pass, Dion should probably let these two vote their preference (although I don't know what Martin's issue is). The place to stand and fight will be the Clean Air Act. Since John Baird has now promised that Canada will "honour" our Kyoto commitments, it will be quite difficult, I think, for the Tories to make this a confidence matter so as to kill opposition amendments that in fact bind us to those commitments.
h/t to One Dominion.
Update: Comuzzi is gonzo from the Liberal caucus. That took guts on Dion's part.
Update: Keith Martin is NOT supporting the Harper budget. Thanks Red Tory. And I am beginning to change my mind a little as to the Lib response to Comuzzi. It seems to me that a few metaphoric heads up on metaphoric poles might go aways to dispelling the notion of Dion as wimp.
26 comments:
Mister Speaker, I rise today to announce measures that my government must take to comply with Bill C288, otherwise known as the “Pablo Rodriguez Law of Unintended Consequences”.
In order to comply with the Bill and Kyoto, it is necessary to take some drastic measures to either reduce emissions or to buy credits from other signatory nations of the Kyoto Protocol who do not need to reduce their emission but get to sell these credits.
Canada got hosed at Kyoto. Jean Chretien’s Liberal government signed Canada to a treaty that means we must reduce our standard of living in order to comply. Bill 288 further obligates Canada to reduce its economy in order to comply and because of the way the Bill is worded, our Government must achieve the 2012 targets within 180 days of the Bill being granted Royal Ascent, so we must act NOW.
I am instructing a number of government department and agencies to enact the following emergency measure so that we can comply with the will of Parliament, or at least the Liberal, NDP and Bloc Quebecois parts of parliament.
Immediate shutdown of all coal fired power plants in Canada. We realize that this will hit Ontario very hard – 1/3 of Ontario’s electricity is coal generated, but look on the bright side, the lack of power will also cause the shutdown of thousands of plants and factories, throwing hundreds of thousands out of work. While we are it, we’ll close down all the top ten listed below:
Rank Company Name Province
1 Ontario Power Generation On
2 Transalta Utilities AB
3 Sask Power SK
4 Alberta Power Corp AB
5 Nova Scotia Power Inc NS
6 Syncrude Canada Ltd. AB
7 Suncor Energy inc. Oil Sands AB
8 EPCOR Generation Inc. AB
9 Petro-Canada AB
10 Dofasco Inc. On
Immediate shutdown of the entire Petroleum industry across Canada – we will need to import our oil but we are only going to import oil from countries that will sell us Kyoto Credits.
Immediately ban all wood burning fireplaces, charcoal and propane BBQ’s and summer campfires. All recreational vehicles and activities are deemed frivolous and will be banned. Sorry Bombardier, no more skidoos and water jet boats. We are investigating how to ban forest fires as well, but that has its challenges. No
A 30 cent per liter “GhG Kyoto credit buying Tax. Based on recent data that we use about 45 Billion liters of gasoline every year. This new tax revenue should provide enough money to both buy the $10 billion in foreign credits we need annually and make up for the billions in lost income taxes the Federal and Provincial governments will not collect by the 35% contraction of our economy we need to achieve
We ill not be able to afford generous EI support for all the laid off workers because the numbers could reach in the millions. Shutting down the oil sands alone will result in huge job losses in Alberta, but also in Quebec and Ontario, where tens of thousands of workers make the pipes, valves, machinery, trucks, tires, computers and other equipment that would have been purchased had we not put these actions in place to meet the requirements of the “Pablo Rodriguez Law of Unintended Consequences”.
For the tens of thousands of workers in the Financial sector, we are aware that the mortgage and credit crisis these moves will cause will result in the devastation of your industry as well but we expect that the Barons of Bay street will be able to salvage a fee jobs trading in the International Credit Trading Market, or as some have come to call it, the Kyoto Hot Air Credit Socialist Sucking Ponzi Scheme. Hopefully you will be one of the few out of the tens of thousands Financial Sector workers who will get one of these new jobs – you might even make megatonnes of money
Since there will be a huge rise in the number of corporate and personal bankruptcies , our government will be enacting new legislation to simplify the process. Simply nail a sign to your property say “We quit” or for consumer debt, place your cut up credit and bank cards in an envelope. That’s all, no lawyers or courts needed
We will also be reducing the size of the federal government payroll by at least 35% to meet the requirement to keep the budget balanced to the new and much lower levels of government funds.
We will be reducing the Federal government transfer of dollars to the provinces to meet the new fiscal capabilities of Canada’s Federal government. We will leave it up to individual provinces to decide to close schools or hospitals or whatever. It’s a provincial responsibility
Its not all bad news. Canada should be able to save a fortune in Immigration costs. We have a forecast from government experts that Canada will go to last place in the quest for skilled immigrant labour. Somehow they don’t want to come to a country with power shortages, no air conditioning, limited winter heating, no jobs and a devastated economy. Go figure. The USA and Australia will benefit form these immigrants and their skills,
Mr. Speaker, let me close by thanking the Liberals, especially the mega green leader Citoyen Dion, the NDP, under the leadership of Jack “Talban” bin Layton, the Bloc Quebecois and their inspired of Gilles “Hairnet” Duceppe for voting for Bill C288. But especially all Canadians want to thank Liberal Pablo Rodriguez for devastating our economy, depressing our standard of living to upper third world status. As we huddle in the cold and swelter in the summer heat, as we stare at our old car we can’t afford to drive, as we fondly remember how hard it was to get out of bed on a Monday morning to go to the job we used to have, we can take pride in being the best-est, wonderful-est, the most moralist international boy scouts out to help the planet be saved.
Thank you Mr. Speaker
Kyoto,
This is childish and you know it. It is also impossible to square with Baird's recent announcement that he as committed to the treaty. D'you think he would commit us to a treaty he is going to renounce a week down the road? Why, that would be lying!
Also, didn't you already post this once? D'you think you could come up with something new?
Childish ??
How about reality.
If you want to play politics with the Clean Air Act and try and enforce Kyoto, our economy would be devastated. Period. Dr Fruit Fly & his ilk lie like worn out rugs saying a few more windmills will solve all the problems, Kyoto can be achieved with no pain.
They are all skanks.
The budget is an election budget and it is not meant to pass. It was meant to trigger an election. It still could after we see what the results of the Quebec election next week.
However, we are already seeing the Conservatives hinting that they will make some other bills confidence bills, such as the Clean Air Act and their crime bills.
This budget was dead on arrival and not a single provision in it will be implemented before the next election.
As for kyoto, it is dishonest to say that meeting its targets will not bring pain but it is just as dishonest to state that meeting its targets will devestate our economy. So kyoto and golden you are just as full of shit as those pro-kyoto folks who are all fresh-air and sunshine about its implications to our economy.
The Kyoto trolls are the same ones as the climate change denier trolls. Since they lied about that, they're lying about this. They lie about everything after all.
No, climate change is real ti-fou, it's just that it is natural and not man made. Check out "The Great Global Warming Swindle" a British documentary available on google video;
http://video.google.com/
videoplay?docid
=-4520665474899458831
On the issue of whether these two MP's should vote with the party, here is my take:
Everyone knows the way party politics work in Canada. Everyone knows that, on certain bills, the vote is determined by the leader of the party. Both these men knew that when they campaigned for the liberal nomination, when they accepted that nomination, and when they accepted the financial and infrastructure support from the liberal party when they ran in the federal election.
Everyone knows that at a leadership convention, the rank and file choose the leader. That is how it should be, because the rank and file support this party financially, through volunteer work and with their votes. MP's are important, but they owe their existence to the rank and file.
Everyone knows that if you want your party to follow a certain path, you either support someone who shares your view or you run for leader yourself. If you lose, it is because the majority of the party do not agree with you, and you should accept their decision.
Everyone knows that when you elect an MP, you are doing more than electing a representative of your riding - you are electing a member of a particular political party, with all the requirements that go with that membership.
If these two men do not want to follow the direction of their leader, they should have run as independants, rather than accept the financial backing from the liberal party.
I am sick and tired of MP's disrespecting the choice of the rank and file of the liberal party.
I am not a member of the liberals, but I do support them with a monthly donation. I may have to withdraw that support if MP's cannot learn to accept their role in this process.
Comuzzi has been expelled from caucus. Apparently Thunder Bay is worth more than the whole of Canada to him. Bye bye.
If Baird wants to go beyond Kyoto then whats the fuss about meeting a lesser target for now?
More rhetoric to make them look like they are actually doing something when they actually are not.
Jay,
Well I didn't see that one coming.
No, climate change is real ti-fou, it's just that it is natural and not man made. Check out "The Great Global Warming Swindle" a British documentary available on google video;
You guys should really start cutting and pasting your bum-prints...it'd be more enlightening than the crap you're usually posting.
Your use of the term "documentary" here is a a lie, anony-liar.
Trudeau once said that MPs are nobodies 50 feet from Parliament Hill. Comuzzi just proved he is a somebody. Good on him. And if some Cons don't like the budget, I hope they do the same.
Commuzzi resigned from cabinet over the Civil Marriage bill. He's not planning on running in the next election.
No loss here, I'd say. And to take such a position on a budget that was going to pass anyway just strikes me as grand-standing.
Now, if only we can get Dan McTeague to leave...
Your use of the term "documentary" here is a a lie, anony-liar.
Just like the use of the term "documentary" to describe Al Gore's propaganda film "An Inconvenient Truth" is a lie.
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2007/03/21/3798114-cp.html
Yes, so now is a Dion a dictator for trying to force everybody to obey Liberal decrees (as you declared Harper in the same situation?) or is he now showing 'leaderhip qualities'?
How does Garth Turner feel now? Is he still as free to express his views as he was before? Is this the free democratic example Dijon was braying about earlier?
Come on, which is it?
Jay;
"Apparently Thunder Bay is worth more than the whole of Canada to him."
I guess this is a big ideological problem with some people. Thunder Bay is the riding he represents. That is how it is SUPPOSED to be. He doesn't represent 'Canada', he represents Thunder Bay.
Just like the use of the term "documentary" to describe Al Gore's propaganda film "An Inconvenient Truth" is a lie.
When did I mention An Inconvenient Truth?
Or are you on the verge of some sort of lie, here?
Thunder Bay is the riding he represents. That is how it is SUPPOSED to be. He doesn't represent 'Canada', he represents Thunder Bay.
How do you know all the constituents in Thunder Bay feel the same way as Commuzzi about the budget? Have you conducted some sort of population survey?
Comuzzi is still representing his constituents. He just can't do it in the Liberal caucus. That's the way it works, lil' feller.
ti-guy, are you contributing anything intelligent here at all? 'Liar liar pants on fire' may be intelligent debate where you're concerned, but try to fit in with the adults, okay? Or is anony-liar the wittiest thing you can come up with?
Can you at least rebut the Swindle argument, or provide additional support for Gore's fairy tale?
Not bloody likely. I'm sure we'll just get more bum-prints and swearing from the resident juvenile.
ooh...Snap!
I thought you trollies were a little less thin-skinned than that.
Can you at least rebut the Swindle argument, or provide additional support for Gore's fairy tale?
What's stopping you from doing that, Univac?
Besides, I don't see why it should be my responsibility to rebut wingnut lies.
Actually, ti-guy is BCL's resident bum-wipe. He does the dirty work while BCL stays above the fray. One school of thought is that they are one in the same.
One school of thought is that they are one in the same
School of thought. *snort*
Hey BCL, there are "schools of thought" debating our very essence...
Must be one of those "special schools" judging from the level of scholarship on display by the contrarians here.
Yeah, pass the buck ti-guy, true to Liberal form. "Why should I do it?" Because you haven't the ammo, that's why.
Right. Like I'm going to write up a dissertation here decisively proving the theory of anthropogenic global warming and the correctness of Kyoto because you trollies can cut 'n paste from the Queen of the Rednecks' blog, The Western Standard and The Nazi Post.
You know, I'd really like to, but I'm sure there's some paint drying that needs watching.
Conservatives have to rebut Liberal lies day in, day out. That's just how the world seems to be nowadays - liberals spew out some ridiculous lie over and over again, and conservatives are forced to respond to the constant barrage of inanities. No, you don't respond to wingnut lies; you create them!
Classic projection. Or just dumb...I can't tell anymore.
Classic projection, indeed.
Thank you for agreeing with me.
...OK, with that retort, I've officially become a Conservative.
"The Great Global Warming Swindle" is catching heat...well, for being dishonest:
http://news.independent.co.uk/environment/climate_change/article2347526.ece
http://environment.guardian.co.uk/climatechange/story/0,,2032572,00.html
Oh, you're quoting The Independant? That's hilarious!!!
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