Keith Martin Strikes Again

In his new post on our government's alleged G8 Maternal Health initiative, Mr. Martin makes one very salient but under-appreciated point:

Time is running out for mothers and children in the developing world. Less than six weeks remain before the G8 Summit begins in Ontario, and the Canadian government has yet to articulate any plan to reduce maternal and childhood mortality and morbidity, a key objective for the summit announced by Prime Minister Harper a few months ago.

We're getting close, in other words, and despite all the debate Harper's plan-to-have-a plan has generated, it remains in fact a nothing-burger. And it isn't out of the question that what will be eventually revealed to the G-8 will be so minimal as to extend little beyond the initial press release. I wouldn't be at all surprised if that wasn't the final result: a press conference and we're outta there and the whole episode is forgotten.

Martin is less cynical. He goes on to to outline a plan, which I too have been talking up (because it seems similar to what the government might have in mind), in which

Harper [would] propose a "framework" for action on Maternal Health, with this framework being divided into discreet little pots (as it were) named names like "training health care workers", "contraception" "safe abortions", "micro nutrients", and so forth. G-8 countries will be invited to drop money into one or more of these pots, with Canada assiduously avoiding the one marked "abortions".

Its interesting to note that, under Martin's hypothetical plan, its France (inventors of the "french safe") that get stuck with funding abortion.

Anyway, the third link is to last week's Christian Right piece as it appears in The Mark, where the publication's added credibility makes it seem twice as true.

On Martin's Fix

Well, let's get one thing straight. This is not, contra National Post writer John Ivison, the Liberals' problem. It is the government's; as of this moment, the Harper Tories have a maternal health plan that does not include family planning measures, and this summer they will attempt to foist it upon the other seven members the G8. Given the U.K. and American response thus far, the odds are very much tilted against their finding success.

Here's where MP Keith Martin's "fix", first reported last week in The Mark, comes in:

Mr. Martin appears to have found the solution. He said Stephen Harper should embrace the World Health Organization’s position of supporting women’s access to safe abortions in those countries where it is legal. Yet he recognized many members of the Conservative government have their own opinions that have to be respected. He suggested Mr. Harper could square his opposition to abortion while still implementing a maternal health plan by proposing each G8 country take the lead on one of the treatments.

“For example, Canada could be the lead nation on training healthcare workers and micronutrients, another country could focus on providing medications, another on access to family planning and safe abortions etc. This would enable Mr. Harper to move forward with an effective plan of action while being sensitive to the views on abortion of some of his members,” he said.

This, as I wrote at the time, is the solution employed by the George Bush II administration under similar circumstances--ie under similar pressures from its own political right flank.

Aside from problems of implementation--another state would have to come forward and offer to pay for third world abortions, which may not be so easy given the domestic political pressures within various G8 countries--there is a larger issue at stake: contra Ivison, and with all due respect to Mr. Martin, Martin's Fix is not a commonsense solution or a reasonable compromise. It constitutes an accounting gimmick, a butt covering exercise.

The G8's situation today might be visualized as follows: everyone throws their maternal care money into one big pot, and it is spent willy-nilly on the various "treatments" Martin specifies. Under the Martin proposal, each country would throw its money into one of several little pots, labelled "medications" or "family planning" or etc., and their money would be spent just on that one medical option.

Well, for one thing, how is it possible to ensure that, once the money have been turned over to the G8, it remains in its particular pot? How is it possible to determine if, for example, a dollar from Canada has wound up paying for a box of condoms in Kinshasa? It seems to me that it isn't. And, more importantly, in the end Canada's initiative still winds up paying for abortions in foreign lands, despite Harper's insistence that it not do so. Martin's plan, that is, simply provides a fig-leaf for a government climb-down.

Now, for progressives like myself, that's fine. Canadian policy as practised by several government's, both Tory and Liberal, does not change. The problem for Harper will come from his own political base, from the true believers for whom abortion is a make or break issue.

Will they allow themselves to be fooled by Martin's gimmick, which essentially gives them nothing?

Iggy's Great Failure

Tory's won't vote for him, and now Iggy is set to throw away the Liberal vote. Plus, another reason to despise Keith Martin.

Lets make something clear: the cries of "our hands are tied" from Jack Layton and Michael Ignatieff are nonsense. The NDP has a history of "whipping" free votes, and of course nobody really expects any urban Tory to be voting their conscience at 5:30 today. But of course what worries me are the implications for the Liberal Party of Canada. It seems that they have sold their last principle in exchange for a charismatic leader who is utterly lacking in charisma.

Keith Martin Strikes Back!

Two days before the CHRC is cleared of wrong-doing, Keith Martin turns M-446 into M-153

M-153 — November 19, 2008 — Mr. Martin (Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca) — That, in the opinion of the House, subsection 13(1) of the Canadian Human Rights Act should be deleted from the Act.

PS. M-153, like M-446, is still pretty pointless, a statement of opinion, not a change in the law. Still...

How Come The Only Serious Politician Hinting At Scrapping The CHRC Is A Liberal MP?

Keith Martin rants on:

"We can’t let the commission go on as it is now," he said. "The issue is much larger than 13.1," he said, describing his motion as a mere "springboard" to examine the CHRC. He hopes that a thorough examination of the federal commission will prompt provincial legislatures to look at their own legislation and commissions.

Frankly, far more disturbing than the Liberal vacillating on budgetary and other matters is the fact that the leadership doesn't feel comfortable telling this one nobody to stuff a sock in it. Whatever you think of section 13, HRCs have done fine work on the behalf of the injured and disabled. That a Liberal should be leading the charge against them is truly pukeworthy.

It's Official! Hitler's Brain Endorses Liberal Private Member's Motion!!!

From the deep dark jungles of Brazil, the disembodied brain of Hitler speaks out on M-446, Liberal MP Keith Martin's private member's motion to gut Canadian Civil Rights Legislation.

"Cheeze Und Kkkrackers! Dis motion Vill Be Und "Get Out Of Jail Vrrree Card" vor my leetle Canadian Nazi Bruzzers! Keith Martin izz my kind er leetle "brown guy"!" Take me to Kkkanada, zzen, vere dey are zzzoft und vee Nazzis!

Background is here und here.

Its Not A Nazi Comparison, Rob, It's Real Nazis

Nobody is comparing anyone to Nazis, Mr. Breckinridge. We are just pointing out that real honest to gawd Nazis support Liberal MP Keith Martin's motion to delete Section 13 from the Canadian Civil Rights Act. Mark Lemire is one such Nazi. Paul Fromm is another.

And I hear rumors that Nazi Overlord Ed Zundel will be doing up a news release before the end of the week.

Now, why do the Nazis support M-446? That Nazis are free speech absolutists is laughable. Rather, this portion of of the Act was specifically designed for and has been used extensively to chase down Canadian Nazis. Delete it and, whatever else you do, you will make life easier for Canadian Nazis. You will make it easier for them to communicate, easier for them to recruit. That's why they're behind it, and the whole free speech thing is a feint to sucker the stupid.

So, as a corollary, I would argue for example that people like Mr. Martin and you yourself are not Nazi sympathizers. You've just been conned by Nazis. Booby boy.

And the result of repealing this provision will surely be...more Nazis! and more empowered Nazis! Nazis here, and Nazis there, feeling their oats and living Large!

Real Nazis too, not metaphoric in the slightest. You might be willing to allow that in order to have Ezra Levant quit his whining, I am not.

Incidentally, you've linked to me and yet I get no traffic. Is AM 770 out in Mushaboo somewhere?

Liberal Party Speaks Out On Keith Martin

First signs of a pulse from the Lib Leadership:

Liberal Leader Stephane Dion's office disavowed the motion and suggested Martin will be asked to withdraw it.

"It" is MM-446, an attempt to gut Canadian civil rights legislation because it annoys a few fringe Right journalists. And the author says he's a Liberal!

And a defiant one too:

Martin said he won't back down, arguing that it's his right and duty as a parliamentarian to introduce private member's bills that address issues of importance to his constituents.

Quickly now, ask Mr. Martin whether he wants to run for the LPC or switch back to the Conservatives. And lets see if Stephen Harper wants to back a guy supporting a motion so thoroughly endorsed by Canada's Nazi community. I would suspect that his answer is "Aiieee! Get away from me!"

Motion To Repeal Section 13 Bags Another Nazi Endorsement!

First Paul Fromm gave it the thumbs up, and now Marc LeMire is equally enthusiastic. He expresses his excitement through a little bit of concrete poetry.

You know, both Ezra Levant and Fromm at Stormfront have made note of motion sponser Keith Martin's own visible minority status, arguing that this will make it easier for the Conservative government to move M-446 forward.

And this brings to mind a bumper sticker I used to see down in Arizona: A poor man voting for Reagan is like a chicken voting for Colonel Sanders.

Mr. Martin, you are that chicken.

Update: Jason's got a nice piece on this today.

Will These Liberals Support Budget?

Joe Comuzzi (Thunder Bay-Superior North) and Keith Martin ( Esquimalt- Juan De Fuca) are making noises in that direction:

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.