New Senators

[August1991]

One rumour on Parliament Hill last week was that some Trudeau-era Liberals were urging Martin to appoint some Tory MPs to the Senate to further lessen the chance of a successful non-confidence vote.

CTV

The CTV article has other good quotes too but I started this "forum vote" because, given the new look, I feel like I just arrived in a Ritz-Carlton suite (on Sherbrooke, government tab) and I want to try the phone in the washroom.

----

For example:

CTV Ottawa bureau chief Bob Fife said while the Liberals appear to be languishing on the ropes: "Only a fool would count the Liberals out."

Although they don't have enough votes on their own to stay alive, said Fife, "they control the purse strings and patronage."

The Liberals rely on patronage while Harper relies on finger paint.

Independent Carolyn Parrish has said she will vote for the Liberals because she doesn't think Canadians want to go to the polls.

IOW, she's afraid she won't be re-elected.

[cybercoma]

One rumour on Parliament Hill last week was that some Trudeau-era Liberals were urging Martin to appoint some Tory MPs to the Senate to further lessen the chance of a successful non-confidence vote.

CTV

The CTV article has other good quotes too but I started this "forum vote" because, given the new look, I feel like I just arrived in a Ritz-Carlton suite (on Sherbrooke, government tab) and I want to try the phone in the washroom.

----

For example:

CTV Ottawa bureau chief Bob Fife said while the Liberals appear to be languishing on the ropes: "Only a fool would count the Liberals out."

Although they don't have enough votes on their own to stay alive, said Fife, "they control the purse strings and patronage."

The Liberals rely on patronage while Harper relies on finger paint.

Independent Carolyn Parrish has said she will vote for the Liberals because she doesn't think Canadians want to go to the polls.

IOW, she's afraid she won't be re-elected.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Someone should start a poll about Carolyn Parrish:

"Do you give a crap about her opinion anymore?"

No being the only eligible response.

[kimmy]

The PM could remove opposition members from the House of Commons by appointing them to the senate?

Intriguing... but also rather unsavory. Removing a riding's democratically elected representative from the HOC under any circumstances seems contrary to the ideal of our system. Doing it under such a thinly veiled pretense seems especially so.

I'd expect it would be bad PR for the government, as it's such a transparent maneuver.

I assume it would also be a temporary solution at best for Martin, as there would have to be byelections in the affected ridings within a reasonable length of time, wouldn't there?

Overall it seems like a particularly underhanded gesture for a guy who claims to have such high ideals for how politics should be done in Canada. But as we've already seen, when ideals fight expediency, expediency often comes out victorious.

-kimmy

[kimmy]

Someone should start a poll about Carolyn Parrish:

"Do you give a crap about her opinion anymore?"

No being the only eligible response.

Well, given the closeness of Liberal/NDP to the magic 154 that they'd need to ensure the defeat of a non-confidence motion, the opinions of all 3 independent members are very important right now.

-k

[The Terrible Sweal]

The NDP/Liberal accord leaves the Tories totally screwed. The electorate wants to wait for the full report before having an election anyway, but the Tories can't pull the plug with only the Bloc on their side or they'll wear the Separatist label for the whole campaign.

Actually, the Liberals made a tactical mistake in promising the election in the fall ... they didn't need to make that promise.

[cybercoma]

The NDP/Liberal accord leaves the Tories totally screwed.  The electorate wants to wait for the full report before having an election anyway, but the Tories can't pull the plug with only the Bloc on their side or they'll wear the Separatist label for the whole campaign. 

Actually, the Liberals made a tactical mistake in promising the election in the fall ... they didn't need to make that promise.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Thanks for speaking for the entire electorate. Come to think about it, let's make a poll based solely on this forum's opinion.

[August1991]

The NDP/Liberal accord leaves the Tories totally screwed.  The electorate wants to wait for the full report before having an election anyway, but the Tories can't pull the plug with only the Bloc on their side or they'll wear the Separatist label for the whole campaign. 

Actually, the Liberals made a tactical mistake in promising the election in the fall ... they didn't need to make that promise.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I take a different view. As it stands now, the Liberal Party of Canada (not the Tories) has single-handedly given a huge boost to the Bloc Quebecois. So tell me, which party really wears the "separatist label"?

In addition, the Liberals are now open to the accusation of being "socialists". If Canadians want an NDP government, they just have to vote Liberal.

But TS, I guess we'll just have to wait until 27 June to see who is right.

I can say this however: If English Canada (Ontario in particular) elects the Liberals again, Charest will drop further in the polls, he will definitely not get re-elected and support for sovereignty will cross over 60%.

[kimmy]

Given substantive changes to the budget, billions of additional spending and the removal of tax cuts, the Liberals have given the Conservatives sufficient reason to withdraw their support for the budget. It's simply not what the people who voted Conservative MPs into Parliament voted for (it's not even what Liberal voters voted for, or Ralph Goodale wouldn't have been so opposed...) Do they really need any other justification for voting against the government?

Earlier in the term, the Conservatives' detractors, including Liberal MPs, I believe, made mocking remarks about Harpers' decision to have MPs abstain from votes in order to let legislation pass. Now the free ride appears to be over, and the same people are suddenly not cracking jokes.

-kimmy

[Newfie Canadian]

The PM could remove opposition members from the House of Commons by appointing them to the senate?

They don't have to accept the appointment though. Do they?

I take a different view. As it stands now, the Liberal Party of Canada (not the Tories) has single-handedly given a huge boost to the Bloc Quebecois. So tell me, which party really wears the "separatist label"?

You may be right August, but perception being what it is, and voter apathy being what it is, do the average Canadian see it that way?

The average Canuck sees the the CPC and the Bloc bringing down the government. That's it.

The Bloc will win more seats. The damage is done.

How bad it will be(for the Liberals) and a bigger indication of the upsurge in sovereignty is who will win the traditional federalist ridings.

[fracan]

With voter turnout hovering around 60%, can we still claim the average Canadian is even a voter?