Liberals cancel Opposition Days

[BQSupporter]

Well if this doesn't tell Mr. Harper and Mr. Layton that this government needs to go, then nothing will.

How dare the Liberals suspend democracy in this country.

How dare the Liberals try to shut up the opposition parties that represent the majority of the country.

This Government must end.

[August1991]

Unbelievable. All three parties:

NDP House Leader Libby Davies said the government's treatment of the opposition will hurt the country's international reputation.

"I don't think people would expect to see that in Canada," she said. "It is absolutely outrageous and an example of how desperate they are. What they've done here is very serious."

Mr. Harper said the Liberals are attempting to "crush democratic opposition," adding that the Liberal move suggests they believe they do not have the required confidence of the Commons, or of Canadians.

"If they don't even want to work with the one party that has actually cut them a break from time to time, so be it. They do so at their peril," Mr. Harper said.

G&M

Le leader parlementaire du Bloc québécois, Michel Gauthier, a soutenu que cette tactique équivaut à une déclaration de guerre de la part des libéraux.

«Je n'ai jamais vu cela en 18 ans de parlementarisme, autant à Québec qu'à Ottawa. C'est particulier. Ils essaient de sauver les meubles quand l'incendie est pris dans la maison. (...) C'est une déclaration de guerre. Et s'ils veulent la guerre, ils vont l'avoir. Ils ne s'en sortiront pas avec cela», a soutenu M. Gauthier, qui cachait mal son indignation.

La Presse

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The Liberals have pulled quite a stunt. They want to move the several opposition days (about 5 or so) all to the end of June. (These days must be given to the opposition but the Liberals decide when.)

Now, the only way to hold a non-confidence vote is on the budget.

[The Terrible Sweal]

An excellent move by te government! Canadians don't want an election yet, so the Liberals have moved to secure what Canadians want against the irresponsible urges of the oppositon parties.

Leaving the BQ armed with the power to pitch the country into an electtion at their convenience was very undesirable.

[Shakeyhands]

Right on Sweal. Its also fun watching Harper get upset. He'll never be PM. Thankfully.

And as far as the BQ are concerned, I wish we could still shoot traitors. They make me sick.

[August1991]

Canadians don't want an election yet, so the Liberals have moved to secure what Canadians want against the irresponsible urges of the oppositon parties.

Since about 40% of eligible Canadians don't vote at all, I'm not surprised a poll would show that a large percentage of Canadians don't want an election.

What this crass move shows is that the Liberals have changed the rules in the middle of the game. All three opposition parties are disgusted and any good will is lost.

Harper had no intention of introducing a confidence motion on this upcoming opposition day. He was going to introduce a motion to establish clearly what days would be for opposition business.

[Newfie Canadian]

I think it is an underhanded move, ethically if not technically.

On the other hand, it is a blatant subversion of democratic practices in the House, from an ethical point of view. To change something as important, practiced and necessary as opposition days is juvenile and wrong.

They appear to be running scared.

If they would have left it alone and the opposition brought down the government, the Liberals could have still played the blame game, as several importnat pieces of legislation have yet to be passed, including te Atlantic Accord, the Pot bill and SSM.

So why do it?

However, on the one hand, it is a brilliant move by the Liberals. As August points out, the only way now to bring down the government is defeat the budget bills. They do that, they kill the Atlantic Accord deal, the icrease in military money, national daycare, etc.

It's the only thing the Liberals can point to in an election. The Conservatives in English Canada will get the blame for destroying these wonderful things, while in Quebec the Bloc will get the blame.

[fellowtraveller]

It's all much easier to accept this action if you accept that the Liberal Party is filled with bottomfeeding scum. They are utterly corrupt and bereft of ideas, clinging to power for no reason.

They've deferred the Opposition days to give time for their spin machine to do what they do so skilfully- deflect Canadians from the serious problems our elected governments refuse to face. They do this by introducing red herrings, but I don't think that the opposition will be deflected this time.

The next move by the Liberals will be to suspend Parliamnet and prevent anybody from introducing a motion of non-conficence.

They all want to control the timing of an election, the later the better for the Liberal spin doctors.

[Black Dog]

Someone needs to remind the Martinites of the first rule of holes.

This is a PR debacle for the Grits. The only explanation (beyond the obvious one: rank stupidity) is that the Liberals' top strategists must have backroom deals with Harper to make the Liberals look as bad as possible before the election. What next? Will they have Martin drop-kick a puppy during scrum?

[The Terrible Sweal]

What this crass move shows is that the Liberals have changed the rules in the middle of the game. All three opposition parties are disgusted and any good will is lost.

Harper had no intention of introducing a confidence motion on this upcoming opposition day. He was going to introduce a motion to establish clearly what days would be for opposition business.

Please. The opposition planned to change the rules to give themselves the advantage of inititiative. So, the government played the rules first to keep the advantage of initiative. Either of these machinations were within Parliamentary rules. The government simply beat the opposition to the punch.

[Slavik44]

I suppose all is fair in love and war, and thats fine but I think there has been a line crossed by the Liberals, in there latest actions, just becasue you can do something doesn't mean you should do it. At the very least don't be so niave as to think the Liberals did this for anyone else other than the liberals, it is down right dispicable behavoir. This is not about doign what the people want, because there were over 300 people elected to parliment to determine what people wanted, not one out of touch prime minister wrapped up in his own little political scandal, to tainted to know what the people want and to scared to give the opposition the powers the people gave them in the election.