Stephen Harper: Cancel Easter!

OTTAWA – Stung by public criticism that they put Parliament on an extended Christmas break, the federal Conservatives want to cancel week-long breaks in March and around Easter, saying that MPs have a “lot of work to do.”

Both Libs and NDP have already said OK, so what did that accomplish? Not much of a trap. Meanwhile, the increasingly isolated Mr. Spector insists that the opposition parties are playing checkers, while Harper is playing an electric kazoo amped up to 11.

My Mother...She Isn't Quite Herself This Morning

"One of the challenges that we have now politically is that prorogation has become a bad thing,” [Dalton McGuinty] told reporters. ”My mother is now aware of what a prorogation is and she thinks prorogations are bad.”


Dalton McGuinty

Time To Change The Roll

From the North Bay Nugget. Funny people up in North Bay.

Back To Square One With C-15?

"Enough is enough,” the Conservative email says, adding that the government will introduce Bill C-15, which imposes mandatory jail time for serious drug offences, in the Senate. The Liberals gutted it, the email says, but the Tories will bring it back in its original form.
I may be wrong, but this sounds to me as if the bill will have to wend its way from the starting gate through both chambers. (But someone correct me if I'm misunderstanding Senate procedures). Anyone wanna predict how far along it is before Harper pulls the plug again and restarts the whole process a third time?

Parliament Will Be More Democratic Due To Prorogation, Not Less.

Terence H. Young, CPoC Oakville MP. Its all about the Senate, for this guy. Its as though each Tory MP was allowed to spout one talking point, just so they wouldn't get confused.

A Tory Backbencher's "Work" Is Never Done

SAINT JOHN - Business owner Dick Daigle, Mayor Ivan Court and Saint John MP Rodney Weston are challenging residents to vote early and often to ensure the city secures a spot on the new Monopoly Canada board game.

[...]

"I want to encourage everyone to vote and vote often. You don't hear politicians saying that every day," [Weston] joked.

Meanwhile, The Libs are discussing Veteran's issues today, health tomorrow.

Ron Cannan Does His Bit

The Tory MP with their latest talking point:

For him, prorogation is an opportunity for the Conservative government to concentrate on the economy by implementing the next phase of its economic stimulus program and prepare a new budget.

If parliament was in session then the opposition parties could vote non-confidence and force an election before those tasks are complete.

“That’s what we don’t want,” said Cannan.

The new budget was planned for early March in any event, so it looks like Cannan was worried that Iggy and co. might have brought down the gov. between January and March.

Stephen Woodworth Doubles Down On Frivolous Twitter Tweets

He so wants you to think that this is working.

I Don't Wanna Work

...I just wanna play on de net all day.

Kitchener CPoC MP Stephen Woodworth tweets away the empty hours. H/t and more of Woodworth obsessive non-working.

Talking To Americans...Mostly

The popular U.S./International sociology/cultural criticism blog The Crooked Timber has a new post on prorogation. Get over and tell 'em your plaints.

They ask: will the planned second wave of protest fly or fizzle? I dunno; if it involves marching again I personally am going to need better weather. Sorry, but there it is.

PS. I'm in The Mark this morning. Just yesterday's post, but it looks so much more authoritative over there.

Like Shooting Fish In A Barrel

The Libs offer policy, the Tories talk couch surfin' in front of a hockey game:Four weeks to go and they don't even have a forum through which to fight back. No wonder they're dropping like a stone in the polls.

PS. Spelling jokes are off limits. It's Twitter. Its supposed to be stupid.

Prorogation: What's Behind The Anger

There are many reasons to be upset by the Harper Tories' shutting down parliament and fleeing away across the rooftops to avoid questions over the Afghan detainee and other issues. For one thing, it means emasculating the seat of Canadian federal democracy over a scandalette that, if probed thoroughly and completely, would almost certainly not amount to much: the Conservative government inherited a flawed prisoner transfer arrangement from their Liberal predecessors; they were too slow to correct its flaws, but did so eventually. End of story.

In other words, they have chosen to cut and run over a fairly trivial matter, which implies that they treat the institution of parliament as something to be violated casually.

There is also the matter of the offhand brutality with which they have been willing to abandon their own legislative agenda. I personally might not agree with bill C-15 (mandatory minimum sentencing) or their consumer safety laws(C-6), for example, but these were nevertheless the result of an enormous amount of work by people and interests who were invested in them very deeply. And all of this work has been tossed aside at the first sign of political turbulence.

So, not only does the Harper government not give a toss about Canada's democratic process, they don't care about their own policies. They seem to have become entirely opportunistic over their four years in power.

But there is something more basic driving Canadian anger over prorogation, I think. It has to do with Stephen Harper the man, ideological Conservatives like those that fill his government's back-benches, and their relationship to what used to be called The Work Ethic.

I mean, this is the Prime Minister who once that claimed Atlantic Canada was hampered by a "culture of defeat", bred by laziness and a continued dependence on government handouts. This is the Prime Minister who branded the whole nation beyond the borders of Alberta a "2nd tier socialist" country. And this is the Prime Minister whose party has always been more than happy to play the "Bums from Out East" tune for all its been worth, who have argued that their political opponents are a bunch of slackers who "don't understand what it means to meet a payroll", and so on and so forth.

Now this very same Prime Minister has--hey presto!--rewarded himself and his MPs two months extra vacation time. THAT, I believe, is what really grates with Canadians. It's what lies behind the signs proclaiming Get back to work! that appeared again and again at anti-prorogation rallies across the country last weekend.

And I see that Norman Spector is prattling on again about coups, and coalitions between Liberals, Socialists, and Separatists. Well, Mr. Spector, at least these people showed up on Monday, ready to do their job. Mr. Harper and his gang of Calgary Capitalists couldn't be arsed.

If Tory MPs Won't Work, Liberal Candidates Are Glad To Pitch In

If MP Larry Miller won't go to Ottawa and do his job, Kimberly Love will, she told an anti-prorogation rally in Owen Sound Saturday.

And with Parliament shut down, the Liberal candidate for Bruce-Grey Owen Sound was to start today in Ottawa -- unelected, but invited to join the Liberal caucus in committee sessions.

[...]

At the invitation of Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff, Love said in an interview, she will be part of Liberal committees starting today in Ottawa to study job creation, governance, pensions and health care.

"I'm not an elected representative, but there is a voice for this Riding on Parliament Hill in the next couple of weeks because the Liberals are going back to work," Love said.

A stunt? Maybe, but a not a bad one when you think about it, though only available to those within driving distance of Ottawa. Hopefully Iggy appears with Ms. Love at his side to draw the contrast between paid Tory MPs who are sitting on their arses in California waiting for the Olympics to break their ennui and Lib candidates who are willing to volunteer for the good of the nation.

Focused, Like A Laser Beam, On Jobs...

"Our constituents have more concerns on their minds," said [Prince Albert Tory MP Randy Hoback] by phone Tuesday from California, where he is vacationing. "They want us to concentrate on jobs, get people back to work, and get the budget back in order. And that's what I'll focus on when I get back to Parliament and that's what I'm focusing on now."

h/t

8 Meetings And A Function

Rick Dykstra tries to convince you he's had a busy week.

Notes On T.O. Anti-Prorogation Demonstration

So, I had dreamed that I would arrive at this thing and wind up alone, surrounded by un-waved placards and trying to explain to CBC why the event sucked ass so bad. Fortunately, that dream did not come to pass. For although at noon when I first cruised by the Yonge-Dundas Square there wasn’t much happening, by start time a pretty good crowd had gathered, despite the cold weather, and when the march finally kicked off demonstrators stretched from Dundas to Queen street, the road thick (like being on a very crowded sidewalk) with people the whole way. Totally non-scientifically, I would estimate the crowd as being in the high 100s, maybe touching a thousand, maybe a bit shy of that.

So good on the organizers; they sure beat my expectations.

There was a definite orange tint to the crowd. It looks as though our NDP brethren put the “machine” to work; lots of “Stand up to Harper” signs, and CUPE banners, for example. Good on them. There was also a small Green Party contingent, but no official or semi-official Liberal Party presence as far as I could tell (although see below).

And there wasn’t anything too awful in the way of “message creep”. For the most part the placards and chants and attitude were on point.

Just to catalogue the funny stuff:

There was an anti-tar sands banner with a clever, oil-black T-Rex painted on it. There was an international Bolshevik that wanted to abolish the monarchy. There was someone with a sign that had a skull painted on it, an inevitable 911 truther, a couple of black nationalists distributing speeches by Farrakhan across the street, and a guy handing out tickets to some kind of Israel Apartheid thing. No matter what you might think of this last guy’s message, though, he had a really impressive Mohawk-type creation with unshorn locks that fell to his shoulders. (As an aside, Why do all the weirdos have great hair?) There was a stage, and a strong NDP flavor to the speeches given there, as far as I could make out. Luckily, the sound system wasn’t terribly powerful and nobody could really hear their Socialist prattling. And oh yes the same three guys selling competing Marxist -Leninist papers that I saw at the Labour Day Parade were out again. I swear they’re the same three guys I saw on Yonge Street back in 1986 when I first moved to T.O.

And speaking of hair, I got within 10 feet of Gerard Kennedy himself, looking elegantly sexxxy in what I remember as being a dark duffle-coat type thingy. Now, personally, I think he should wear his hair longer. I know that Iggy is trying to get the Libs to project a more professional demeanor, but you don’t waste a head of hair like Gerard’s. His hair is 100% shock-and-awe, and if the Libs sent it on a cross country speaking tour in the run up to the next election they’d pick up two or three seats on that basis alone.

Anyway, I don’t think Mr. Kennedy got up on stage and spoke, but I may be wrong about that.

As for the march itself… it was a march. I don’t much like them as I get a bit dizzy in crowds, but on the upside we did have a piper (bag pipes, in full uniform, probably frozen stiff under that kilt), and many of the young college girls in the crowd looked quite hot, although it’s hard to be sure when they’re all wearing parkas. But the day was chill, so when the actual march ended the crowd dissipated fairly quickly (leaving behind several unappreciated gals making some very good bluesy/folky music on stage, unfortunately).

And I didn’t meet too many other bloggers. I hung with Joseph Uranowski of The Equivocator for most of the event, and saw Ricky of Queer Thoughts at a distance, I think, but didn’t get a chance to talk. Impolitical, buddy, where were you? I heard you was coming and looked everywhere. I was the guy in the dark-colored winter jacket with a hood.

Anyway, a successful protest. Looks like some impact through the media too. In the bar I am writing this post in, one of the regs just told a joke about politics being “prorogued”. So I am sure this story will be in the news after tomorrow, which is the important thing.

PS. 3,000 people? Is my math so bad?

Barring Disaster

...I will hopefully see some people at the demonstration tomorrow. And for me, the real question to be resolved about Toronto's Prorogy Rally is...where and when does the beer drinking afterwards kick in?

h/t

Not Enough Time Off To Memorize His Lines

Defence Minister Peter MacKay welcomed many of the dignitaries to Thursday’s announcement. But there was a slight slip- up.

After mentioning federal and provincial officials, MacKay, who represents the neighbouring federal riding of Central Nova, moved onto the municipal officials, including “our two mayors, Bob and Bob.”

A hush went through the audience before MacKay tried to correct with “Bill and Bill” before the third time was a charm with “Bill and Bob.”

I don't think Mr. Mackay will be parliament ready until at least June.

Jay Hill: Prorogation Is NOT Vacation Cuz You Should See My Meeting Schedule

As Government House Leader, I will be working tirelessly with my Cabinet colleagues in preparation for the re-opening of Parliament. Cabinet and Treasury Board meetings are still being held on a regular basis.

So a job that could have been completed for January 25th gets stretched out over another two months. Parkinson's Law.

I will also be spending this time meeting with stakeholders and business representatives to discuss the priorities they envision for the months and years ahead.

Typical Corp-speak. Teamstorming to leverage the synchronicities, and all that.

Dead But Not At Rest

10 percenters touting the same tough on crime legislative package the Tories prorogued down the toilet are still appearing in mailboxes across the land. Because if you ever passed this stuff, you couldn't run on it.