[Iggy] made his stand before a sold-out Liberal crowd at the annual "Leader's Dinner" in Toronto. To speculation a free vote in either chamber might scuttle the long-gun registry, Ignatieff effectively served notice his members of the Liberal-dominated Senate would face a so-called whipped vote, expected this month.
Back in April 2009. Before Iggy discovered the "tradition" of free votes on private members bills.
Yes, but that was before Iggy's poll numbers fell to Lizzy May levels.
ReplyDeleteWow if Iggy whipped the vote in the Senate to defeat this bill rather than whipping the vote in the House I will really have to shake my head.
ReplyDeleteInstead of using a perfectly legitimate, and time honoured practice (whipping votes) he uses a more questionable and 'iffy' method (i.e. thwarting house business in the unelected senate).
That would be wrong on so many political, philosophical and strategic levels.
Well, they are talking about different pieces of legislation. But at the time he was willing.
ReplyDeleteYes, but that was before Iggy's poll numbers fell to Lizzy May levels.
ReplyDeleteWhy do you bother typing the same comment, over and over again? Would you like me to whip up a script for you, so you can turn your attention to things that really matter to you?
...like your call-centre job or your search for the latest fashion in Internet porn?
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ReplyDeleteWhat if he stills whips the Senate vote? Does that allow his MP's to vote against it and then save it with the Senate
ReplyDeleteCons will have a majority in the Senate Jan 2, Gayle,
ReplyDeleteso the bill would have to really be pushed thru committee, by elected members of parliament,
to be stopped by the unelected Senate before the new year.
Wilson got her arse handed to her at MacLean's yesterday.
ReplyDeleteGood thing the Conservative blowup-doll doesn't have a reputation to protect.
What if they do push it wilson? I read it is a very simple bill with no real room for amendments.
ReplyDeleteHow does Harper justify sitting on it if the LPC are willing to push it through?
Not that I am advocating waiting for the senate. I am firm in my belief the LPC should vote against this bill.
I just love how Wilson uses Harper's greatest betrayal of his own supporters (Senate stacking) to attack her adversaries. While she's trolling no less.
ReplyDeleteThese people really are low class.
This whole not whipping on a private members bill is opening up a can of worms. The Conservatives are going to go through the backdoor for all those divisive bills now and enter them as private members. Iggy should have whipped them....
ReplyDeleteThe whole idea that we have to have free vote on private members bills is complete nonsense. How does the procedural mechanism by which a bill gets to a vote in the House of Commons have anything to do with the merits of the bill and whether or not the vote should be whipped or not. Its a complete non sequitor (and I say this as someone who was never a fan of the registry).
ReplyDeleteFor me its just another example of the weak leadership that Michael Ignatieff brings to the party. If he wanted to have a free vote at least call it an "issue of conscience" or whatever. Don't use this weasely private members bill excuse.
Vote to kill the long gun registry passes. Now the break between rural and urban supporters of the LPC and NDP is wide open. Rural and small town Canadians who have long been the butt of jokes on this blog no longer have any reason to cling to these two "BigCity" parties.
ReplyDeleteMr Ignatieff for whom I had high hopes, missed his opportunity to show himself as an independent thinker and voted the Chretien Party line. We have entered a new era in Canadian politics.