Going once. Going twice. SOLD to Mr. Martin.
In what can only be called the mother of all spending sprees, Paul Martin and the Liberals continue to spend all the tax payer money they have over collected over the years in one of the most obvious attempts to hold onto power. I believe the current tally is somewhere in the neighborhood of 10 Billion by now but I haven't been privy to all their back room deals making.
Their latest acquisition, sitting Conservative MP Belinda Stronach. As of this morning, her official title is Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development. To do this all she had to do was sell out her party and her electorate and cross the floor to join the Liberal party. She apparently didn't even have the class to talk to her riding association or party about her decision except to tell Mr. Harper just prior to making the very public move in the House of Commons.
Of course the new position and pay increase has nothing to do with it; she truly believes a party who has, in the past few months, shown a complete and utter disregard for the law of the land as well as the public trust deserves to remain in power. The fact that the Liberal leadership happens to believe a former opponent, who has spent less than a year in public office and less than a day as an official party member should be given a ministerial position is just coincidence. Oh, and so is the fact that the same person who voted last week, as an opposition member, to disband the government and have an election is now, as a party member, opposing such an action. Another coincidence is this all occurred just 2 days prior to the only non-confidence vote the Liberals are apparently willing to recognize.
Now a cynical person may put forth the idea that since their attempt to schedule a vote when an opposition MP would be in the hospital and another was seriously ill (another coincidence they claim although you can check here for some additional insight into that tactic) was cut off at the knees by their allies call for fairness (and agreeing to have an equal number of their MP's abstain from the vote), this was the only thing left for them to do. Simply buy a vote in the house.
Just a week or so ago several opposition MP's said they were offered similar deals involving Ambassadorships or Senate positions. The Liberals of course denied ever doing this (see story here). Many left leaning political blogs even called this whole thing a ploy by the Conservatives and in normal Liberaleeze election type language accused them of using "American style tactics to discredit the Liberals"*. (An election hasn't even been officially called yet and already the left are trying to smear the Conservatives by associating them with Americans, although I personally fail to see how it is a smear). I wonder exactly how many times a Liberal has to be found to be doing exactly what it is he has been accused of before their defenders actually catch on.
As for Stronach, there was a reason she lost at her attempt to become the Conservative party leader just a little over a year ago. She had no political record and the only professional record she had to run on was the fact that she managed her father's corporation. A father who many said was still closely involved with the day to day decision making. Essentially she was untried and her only position of power came with a very big safety net. I didn't support her then, as a leadership candidate, and I can see no reason to believe her few short months in office have made her the best person to be made a Minister.
If that is the type of MP she chooses to be, she has obviously moved to the right side of the floor. All I can say is good riddance to bad rubbish!
A big hat tip to Captain's Quarters for the original story. Oddly enough, for all the latest on Canadian politics and Gomery info this is probably one of, if not the, best places on the web to look.
* That same blog, Canuck Attitude, also has an interesting post with 3 questions. Just to help him out of his Liberal fog I figured I post the answers here:
1) Since the Liberals, in their infinite wisdom, saw fit to put an end to 'Opposition Days', the normal time that the opposition parties could have put forward a normal non-confidence motion, the Conservatives had to use whatever means legally available to them to try to display the loss of confidence in the reigning government. With the exception of Liberals, a resolution put forward "to recommend that the government resign" is seen as a vote of non-confidence. Even the NDP thought so and therefore voted against it as their previous deal demanded.
2) They were attempting to work within the system to force preemptive changes to Liberal bills. This affect can clearly be seen in the budget that has several Conservative inspired portions. Until the Liberals began adding everything they could find to it, the Conservatives were originally not going to oppose the budget.
3) See David Frum's post here. Remember, this is based on Warren Kinsella's own words. A Liberal, not just Frum's.
Their latest acquisition, sitting Conservative MP Belinda Stronach. As of this morning, her official title is Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development. To do this all she had to do was sell out her party and her electorate and cross the floor to join the Liberal party. She apparently didn't even have the class to talk to her riding association or party about her decision except to tell Mr. Harper just prior to making the very public move in the House of Commons.
Of course the new position and pay increase has nothing to do with it; she truly believes a party who has, in the past few months, shown a complete and utter disregard for the law of the land as well as the public trust deserves to remain in power. The fact that the Liberal leadership happens to believe a former opponent, who has spent less than a year in public office and less than a day as an official party member should be given a ministerial position is just coincidence. Oh, and so is the fact that the same person who voted last week, as an opposition member, to disband the government and have an election is now, as a party member, opposing such an action. Another coincidence is this all occurred just 2 days prior to the only non-confidence vote the Liberals are apparently willing to recognize.
Now a cynical person may put forth the idea that since their attempt to schedule a vote when an opposition MP would be in the hospital and another was seriously ill (another coincidence they claim although you can check here for some additional insight into that tactic) was cut off at the knees by their allies call for fairness (and agreeing to have an equal number of their MP's abstain from the vote), this was the only thing left for them to do. Simply buy a vote in the house.
Just a week or so ago several opposition MP's said they were offered similar deals involving Ambassadorships or Senate positions. The Liberals of course denied ever doing this (see story here). Many left leaning political blogs even called this whole thing a ploy by the Conservatives and in normal Liberaleeze election type language accused them of using "American style tactics to discredit the Liberals"*. (An election hasn't even been officially called yet and already the left are trying to smear the Conservatives by associating them with Americans, although I personally fail to see how it is a smear). I wonder exactly how many times a Liberal has to be found to be doing exactly what it is he has been accused of before their defenders actually catch on.
As for Stronach, there was a reason she lost at her attempt to become the Conservative party leader just a little over a year ago. She had no political record and the only professional record she had to run on was the fact that she managed her father's corporation. A father who many said was still closely involved with the day to day decision making. Essentially she was untried and her only position of power came with a very big safety net. I didn't support her then, as a leadership candidate, and I can see no reason to believe her few short months in office have made her the best person to be made a Minister.
If that is the type of MP she chooses to be, she has obviously moved to the right side of the floor. All I can say is good riddance to bad rubbish!
A big hat tip to Captain's Quarters for the original story. Oddly enough, for all the latest on Canadian politics and Gomery info this is probably one of, if not the, best places on the web to look.
* That same blog, Canuck Attitude, also has an interesting post with 3 questions. Just to help him out of his Liberal fog I figured I post the answers here:
1) Since the Liberals, in their infinite wisdom, saw fit to put an end to 'Opposition Days', the normal time that the opposition parties could have put forward a normal non-confidence motion, the Conservatives had to use whatever means legally available to them to try to display the loss of confidence in the reigning government. With the exception of Liberals, a resolution put forward "to recommend that the government resign" is seen as a vote of non-confidence. Even the NDP thought so and therefore voted against it as their previous deal demanded.
2) They were attempting to work within the system to force preemptive changes to Liberal bills. This affect can clearly be seen in the budget that has several Conservative inspired portions. Until the Liberals began adding everything they could find to it, the Conservatives were originally not going to oppose the budget.
3) See David Frum's post here. Remember, this is based on Warren Kinsella's own words. A Liberal, not just Frum's.
posted by Bic at 6:49 p.m.
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