Harper Building Democracy

[Keepitsimple]

I must admit - this one caught me a bit by surprise but on the surface, it sounds like a good idea. Having more MPs actively involved in crafting bills is more than window-dressing. The MPs, typically back benchers, are in touch with Canadians through the constituencies. An interesting approach:

.........During the last caucus meeting in Ottawa, Harper called for the creation of a special and permanent advisory committee of MPs and senators for each minister of his government. This committee is to be consulted constantly and involved in any major decision that the ministry might be making.

This means that Harper has decided to expand the number of people involved in the decision-making process to include his parliamentarians, along with the members of his office and the bureaucrats. The intention is to make the whole process more democratic.

“In all political caucuses, there is so much untapped talent that we should be ashamed for not exploiting it,” a former MP said to me last week. What's more, regional, ethnic and gender considerations mean that it's not always the best and the brightest MPs who end up in cabinet, and many talented people are left out. Not involving them is wrong from a democratic standpoint, but it's also bad for the country to waste so much talent.

These committees, each of which will consist of nine Conservative parliamentarians — six MPs and three senators — will partially correct that.

The groups, whose composition should be finalized before the beginning of the new fall session, will be consulted regularly by the minister who is preparing a bill. They will be asked to express their opinion before the bill is presented to Parliament and even to the cabinet. In fact, the minister's submission to cabinet will have to include a page with the advice given to him by the committee, whether it is positive or negative...........

Link: http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/stephenharper/article/847885--persichilli-prime-minister-aims-to-give-his-caucus-more-influence#article

[msdogfood]

I do NOT think this will help AT all!!.

[Alta4ever]

I do NOT think this will help AT all!!.

Its more then your offering.

[Jack Weber]

Its more then your offering.

And any of yours...

[Bonam]

Seems like not a bad gesture. Give MPs, which people actually elect, some kind of voice in policy rather than just being a hand raising bot during votes. Gives at least the appearance of more democracy. That being said, I don't think it will have any real impact on policy.

[Remiel]

That being said, I don't think it will have any real impact on policy.

I am skeptical as well, but I think I will wait until we have more details or have seen it in action before I pass judgement. Even if it turns out to be an abject failure, however, it may worthwhile I think for the next government to try it as well, because how well it works is going to be a function of who is using it.

[Shwa]

And when the whip comes along to get committee "approval," who is going to speak the truth? This seems like a make-work project for a bunch of the less-talented party hacks. A junior-junior ministerial position until scandal sends one minister packing and the queue moves forward one.

Seriously, it appears that the CPC is trying to put in the instruments of a majority and seem bigger than they really are. If they were "building democracy" one would think that they would be inclusive of all parties in such objective sounding committees.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper, after being accused of shortening that distance even further, has decided to change this and make his MPs more involved in the life of his government.

This means that Harper has decided to expand the number of people involved in the decision-making process to include his parliamentarians, along with the members of his office and the bureaucrats. The intention is to make the whole process more democratic.

Members of Parliament are definitely more in touch with the reality of Canadians than bureaucrats or ambitious political operatives who live in a world of their own.

Right, so lets make up committees comprised of MP's from a minority government and call it "...more in touch with the reality..."

Edited August 16, 2010 by Shwa

[lukin]

this is an excellent idea. Harper is in tune with Canadians. Bob Rae thinks he knows how Canadians should conduct their lives. Bob Rae is an elitist looking for a socialist utopia.

Keep up the good work Mr. Harper.

[Shwa]

this is an excellent idea. Harper is in tune with Canadians. Bob Rae thinks he knows how Canadians should conduct their lives. Bob Rae is an elitist looking for a socialist utopia.

Keep up the good work Mr. Harper.

Show me how using only designates from one's own party - that is sitting in a minority government situation - is "in tune with Canadians." Then explain how Bob Rae has anything to do with this topic.

Both answers should be - at the very least - interesting.

[Jerry J. Fortin]

Harper has lost all sense of functional political reality. Depths in the ranks of party hack does not translate into democratic enhancement.

[Molly]

About bloody time that the Conservatives figured out that the hacks and back benches should be/do more than bobbleheads.

Given the Conservative record of bending over backwards to avoid accepting such input, what I want to know is whether this will result in income enhancement for the yes-man brigade.

[eyeball]

Its more then your offering.

It's a lot less than what Harper originally offered back when he was big time Reformer.

The intention is to make the whole process more democratic.

That was the intention back then too.

Edited August 16, 2010 by eyeball

[Shakeyhands]

Show me how using only designates from one's own party - that is sitting in a minority government situation - is "in tune with Canadians." Then explain how Bob Rae has anything to do with this topic.

Both answers should be - at the very least - interesting.

Right out of the CPC Hack Playbook. After attacking Ignatieff, they need to turn on to Rae to attempt to marginialize him as well. I'll tell you, had Rae won the leadership instead of Dion, the Liberals would have had a majority by now, and wouldn't be having to resort to trying to come up with feel good ideas that everyone knows is purely a smoke screen intended to eat up a couple news cycles.

[Keepitsimple]

Right out of the CPC Hack Playbook. After attacking Ignatieff, they need to turn on to Rae to attempt to marginialize him as well. I'll tell you, had Rae won the leadership instead of Dion, the Liberals would have had a majority by now, and wouldn't be having to resort to trying to come up with feel good ideas that everyone knows is purely a smoke screen intended to eat up a couple news cycles.

No need to worry about a smoke screen - it'll never be reported by the Globe & Mail or The Star.

[Bonam]

Right out of the CPC Hack Playbook. After attacking Ignatieff, they need to turn on to Rae to attempt to marginialize him as well. I'll tell you, had Rae won the leadership instead of Dion, the Liberals would have had a majority by now, and wouldn't be having to resort to trying to come up with feel good ideas that everyone knows is purely a smoke screen intended to eat up a couple news cycles.

Rae, wasn't he the NDP dude that just about bankrupted Ontario with billions and billions of dollars wasted on socialist nonsense? Doesn't sound like the kind of guy to win over the center and center-right and get a majority if you ask me.

[PIK]

After a rough start , harper is emerging as a world leader, someone to be proud of, something we have not had in a long while.

[Smallc]

Enough with the sloganeering already.

[Jerry J. Fortin]

After a rough start , harper is emerging as a world leader, someone to be proud of, something we have not had in a long while.

What world are you talking about?

[Shady]

I'll tell you, had Rae won the leadership instead of Dion, the Liberals would have had a majority by now

Rae's popularity in Ontario is non-existent. I'm not sure how you think the Liberals would win a majority. Unless you're counting on voters suffering amnesia.

However, a few "Rae-Day" commericals would definitely remedy the situation. In fact, I'd run "Rae-Day" commericals nation-wide!

[ToadBrother]

I must admit - this one caught me a bit by surprise but on the surface, it sounds like a good idea. Having more MPs actively involved in crafting bills is more than window-dressing. The MPs, typically back benchers, are in touch with Canadians through the constituencies. An interesting approach:

Um, isn't that how legislative committees are supposed to function in the Westminster system?

[Keepitsimple]

Um, isn't that how legislative committees are supposed to function in the Westminster system?

Perhaps, but to the best of anyone's knowledge, no Canadian government has introduced such a working approach. I like the idea of having positive and negative views put forward...sort of like the court appeal rulings - with dissenting opinions. Much of these workings will become public knowledfge so Canadians can get a better idea of how legislative bills take shape.....and it is somewhat true - there is often a lot of talent on the back benches that goes unused because of the need to appoint ministers from different regions, different sexes, and different origins......and sometimes you just get a young, bright MP who needs to gain experience. I like the concept....we'll just have to see how it works in the real world.

[Smallc]

I'm sorry, but I don't see how this is different from the past in any way.

[Jerry J. Fortin]

Perhaps, but to the best of anyone's knowledge, no Canadian government has introduced such a working approach. I like the idea of having positive and negative views put forward...sort of like the court appeal rulings - with dissenting opinions. Much of these workings will become public knowledfge so Canadians can get a better idea of how legislative bills take shape.....and it is somewhat true - there is often a lot of talent on the back benches that goes unused because of the need to appoint ministers from different regions, different sexes, and different origins......and sometimes you just get a young, bright MP who needs to gain experience. I like the concept....we'll just have to see how it works in the real world.

I bet it works as well as the Conservative fixed election date program, in other words not at all.

[Keepitsimple]

I bet it works as well as the Conservative fixed election date program, in other words not at all.

I guess we'll just have to wait and see. Looks like they'll have quite a few more years to put it into practice.

"Great ideas often receive violent opposition from mediocre minds." - Albert Einstein

[ToadBrother]

Perhaps, but to the best of anyone's knowledge, no Canadian government has introduced such a working approach. I like the idea of having positive and negative views put forward...sort of like the court appeal rulings - with dissenting opinions. Much of these workings will become public knowledfge so Canadians can get a better idea of how legislative bills take shape.....and it is somewhat true - there is often a lot of talent on the back benches that goes unused because of the need to appoint ministers from different regions, different sexes, and different origins......and sometimes you just get a young, bright MP who needs to gain experience. I like the concept....we'll just have to see how it works in the real world.

Maybe that's not how legislative committees have worked under the Harper regime, but let me assure that in Canada, and in pretty much all Westminster parliaments, this incredible "reform" is par for the course. I can't believe how gullible some of you Tory supporters are. It's bad enough that the Tories think some of us are mentally deficient enough not to recognize what's going on here, it's even more pathetic to watch their supporters eating it up.

Committee work is where the backbenchers have their say. There's no need to recreate what we already have, and if Harper hasn't been allowing his backbenchers, and backbenchers in general, the appropriate oversight as afforded under the committee system, then I don't think to praise him for suddenly turning the lights back on, but to condemn him for having turned them off in the first place.