Following up the sanctimonious hand-wringing over degraded democracy when Stephen Harper prorogued Parliament in later December, the Liberals decided to take an extended vacation on exercising that democracy by abstaining on the budget vote. Citing the need to both oppose the budget, but not defeat the government because, as we all know, “Canadians don’t want an election right now”, 29 Liberals abstained from representing their constituents on the budget.
In early January, Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff called the prorogation of Parliament a “crazy way to run a democracy”, and said the Liberals would return to work in Ottawa on January 25 as scheduled.
The Conservatives took a considerable amount of heat in the polls from their decision to cancel Parliament. In an Ekos poll taken in early January, 59% opposed prorogation with 41% of that number “strongly” being in opposition to the idea. The outrage had multipartisan support, and even conservative supporters felt that the Prime Minister was using extraordinary powers for his own personal advantage.
The opinions on the reason for prorogation were divided, but most opposition supporters believed it was to avoid questions on the detainee affair in Afghanistan. Conservative supporters speculated that it was a move to reconstitute the Senate in order to gain control of committees, and appoint five more Senators to control the Upper Chamber.
To fight against the backlash, the Conservatives announced before the Olympics that they were cancelling the March and April parliamentary breaks.
“Sure! We’ve been at work since Jan. 25,” Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff said at the time. “Now he’s scrambling to catch up to the Liberals.”
Well, that time has come for the leader of the Official Opposition. Except he isn’t at work as promised. No, the far more pressing issue for the Liberal leader this afternoon was addressing students at O’Donel High School in Mount Pearl, Newfoundland.
The former Harvard Professor, who has at times been called arrogant and aloof, too often relying upon his comfort zone in academia, is once again seeking support in his comfort zone. Telling high school students that Canada has to become the “most educated society”, his address marks part of yet another cross-country speaking tour leading up to his famous “thinkers conference” in Montreal at the end of the month.
The news that Michael Ignatieff wasn’t in Parliament had even partisan Liberal supporters concerned today, as the blogosphere was alight with questions on his absence. Many Liberals feel the need for Mr.Ignatieff to be in the House of Commons is greatest at this time, to hammer the government on issues like the budget, Afghanistan, and unemployment. Unfortunately for many of his loyal supporters, however, it is Mr.Ignatieff who is avoiding work this time.
So Iggy whines about Parliament being shut down, but when the time comes to vote on the budget, or to even bother offering amendments? *POOF*
I’ve said it many times – the word “hypocritical” used to be an adjective to describe the Liberals. Now the same word is a synonym.
It’s true. I can’t believe that the media isn’t all over this. I searched and found nothing.
They’ll pick up on it eventually. In the next few sessions of QP the Tories will never let the Liberals forget it when responding to questions.
“I can’t believe that the media isn’t all over this.”
Because it cannot even be remotely compared to prorogation.
You just sound desperate.
Gayle,
Of course there are a LOT of differences between a party leader not being in the house and actually shutting down parliament for everyone.
But that’s not the point. The point is judging a party leader based on his past statements. Obviously Mr. Ignatieff doesn’t have to be in the house every single minute.
On the other hand, the Liberal party made a BIG deal about prorogation with the obvious implication that MP’s should be in parliament. For Mr. Ignatieff to be absent so soon after parliament resumes makes his party’s outrage over prorogation seem rather hypocritical.
Of course I wasn’t upset over prorogation, so I’m not upset over Mr. Ignatieff being there. It just looks bad.
No it doesn’t. You just wish it did.
No it doesn’t. You just wish it did.
Gayle, during prorogation the Liberals blathered incessantly that Parliament needed to get back to work, then when the budget (one of the most important votes that take place in the life of a Parliamentry session) is put for a vote before the House, almost half (HALF! )the Liberal caucus goes *poof*. Then the same thing is to happen to their “leader” when he also goes *poof* down the magician’s hat on his little tour. That is saying one thing and then doing another; pretty blatant. It is also called hypocrisy, Gayle, no matter how much you need it not to be true.
So yes it does. You just wish that it didn’t.
Ha ha.
Ignatieff explained why the liberals were abstaining. They did not disappear. They just did not vote.
Last I checked, the Liberal Party of Canada was on Parliament Hill, doing the job they are being paid to do.
Nice try though.
Gayle, how much does the Liberal Party pay you to talk like this? Because if it’s for free, they’re getting a great bargain.
They did not disappear. They just did not vote.
LOL now that is a rather curious and convenient ……distinction. And yet, not even one single amendment resulting from a terrible, awful budget that caused the Liberals to vote that way. Nooooo, not hypocritical, not in the least. “Nice try though”.
Because if it is for free, they’re getting a great bargain.
Actually, if they’re getting it for free, it is still a rip-off.
They did not disappear. They just did not vote.
Sort of like; we cashed the cheque, we just didn’t do any of the work. Gayle, you can tap dance around it but Iffy has a big leadership problem. This is just another log on the fire.
No matter how you cut it, its hypocritical that’s for sure.
Ignatieff couldn’t wait to be back in Parliament so that he and his senior MPs could abstain (or not show up to vote) on the latest CPC budget and then skip town to go off on a speaking tour.
But I mean, we’re just lucky we survived without QP for as long as we did. I know that if we had to spend another week without Parliament sitting it probably would have been the end of democracy in Canada.
What is curious is that in other discussions on other blogging tory sites, Gayle has identified with the NDP and its program – and that she seems to relish playing the devil’s advocate and arguing for strategic support for a Party whose program she does not really identify with, and whose leader she equates with Harper … but prefers nonetheless as the “lesser evil” type of choice…
It’s not really a convincing argument if the objective is to sway others towards Liberal support…
Wow Adrian. That was Just. So. Cutting.
Don’t blame me because your posts are so easy to shoot down.
“Sort of like; we cashed the cheque, we just didn’t do any of the work.”
Nice try, but you are of course talking about completely different things.
Are the liberals in Parliament? Are they sitting at the committees doing committee work? Are they in question period?
If I knew the only thing we paid MP’s to do was to vote on the budget, I would ask for my money back.
But it is amusing to see you guys twisting in the wind in your desperate attempt to put a few MP’s abstaining on the budget, and therefore avoiding an election no one wants, on the same level as Harper shutting down Parliament so that he can avoid being accountable to the people.
Like I said. You people are desperate.
By proroguing Harper screwed his chances of having, and winning, an election after the Olympics. He gambled and he lost. Accept it.
“It’s not really a convincing argument if the objective is to sway others towards Liberal support.”
Ha ha ha.
Once again, another conservative who is so blindly partisan that he cannot conceive that someone can actually criticize the CPC and still NOT be a liberal. I have never tried to sway someone towards liberal support. I simply come here and places like this to point out how so many conservatives rely on lies in order to convince themselves Harper is the be all and end all.
It’s amusing. You amuse me. Thanks.
“But I mean, we’re just lucky we survived without QP for as long as we did.”
And when I refer to lies, I mean comments like this.
Eric, I know you are smart enough to know that QP is but a very small part of what the MP’s do while Parliament sits. You attempt to trivialize the prorogation into “we missed QP”.
We also killed a whole bunch of legislation Parliamentarians spent a whole lot of time working on. Or did you miss that little factoid…
Hardly blindly partisan, Gayle – I’ve been known to criticize Conservative Party, or Conservative MPs, or their handling of this or that issue – or to engage in argument with blogging tories when we disagree on some issue – Adrian can attest – and it’s thus not a question of criticizing the Conservatives and not being a Liberal – pretty much the default mode for every other political tendency out there – but of going out of your way on pretty much every occasion to deflect criticism and defend the reputation of a Party whose program and leadership you admit, in other discussions, to have little affinity for.
Now that may not speak to “blind partisanship”, but it does speak to a blind hatred or consuming hatred of all things Conservative so strong you will jump to the defense of the Liberals in practically every dispute – whereas more seasoned NDP or Bloc or Green supporters, with their own objectives and agenda to pursue and not in permanent coalition mode – might step back and let the Liberals answer for themselves and deal with problems they brought upon themselves…
I do not deny I hate the conservative party. My hatred is not blind, however.
I would like you to please link to a post where I have promoted the LPC. I have certainly defended the liberals from the kinds of lies we find here, but that does not equate to promoting them.
I actually think people should make decisions based on facts, and I find many BT sites factually challenged.
Curious that about half the Liberal side are not going to be present during these Opposition Days, when they have the chance to put forward votes or ammendments. Obviously the detainee issue and the budget are not quite THAT relevant to them. By their absence when it could count the most during these Opposition Days, they are giving up a ton of whatever is left of their credibility. They are blowing their position of being a credible Opposition.
How many times have the Liberals cowered to this government and supported their agenda by proxy? I’ve heard people say that change is necessary, but upon retrospect, perhaps it is not the government that needs to be changed so much as it is the Official Opposition. At least the NDP can stand up and be counted. They should be the Official Opposition. They are the only ones doing the job. It is a sad testament, but even the frigging Bloc is being a better Opposition, than the Liberals.
We also keep hearing about coalitions, so come to think of it, there is no reason why the Bloc and the NDP can’t form one of their own and displace the Liberals as the Official Opposition. It is not like the Liberals have been doing the job in any credible way in the last 4 years.
Gayle,
“No it doesn’t. You just wish it did.”
Well assuming that’s directed at me, if you’ve decided in your own mind what my wishes are, then there’s not much point me telling you that you’re wrong.
But for everyone else, Gayle’s just plain wrong about what I wish and here’s why:
Canada needs the Liberal party. The NDP aren’t a plausible party for government which is a prerequisite to being a credible opposition. Other parties can listen to the NDP long enough to pilfer any good ideas, but having them in government is about as wise as letting an alcoholic guard the liquor cabinet.
Any party without a credible opposition will go off the rails eventually. It happened with the Liberals under Chretien and it will happen with the Conservatives assuming that it’s not happening already. So Canada needs two political parties. That’s the Conservatives and the Liberals.
So I want the Liberal party to find it’s footing. And despite Mr. Ignatieff’s shortcomings, he is the best option for the Liberal party. He’s not perfect for the Liberals, but then Harper isn’t perfect for the Conservatives.
So when Mr. Ignatieff makes a big deal about the importance of MP’s being in Parliament to work he should show up to put the screws to the Conservatives over the budget. It’s not like it’s a flawless budget. When he fails to show up, it’s not a big disaster though. It just reinforces the opinion held by most people that politicians of all stripes are full of sanctimonious crap. So it looks bad.
And commenting on this comment of Gayle’s.
“I do not deny I hate the conservative party. My hatred is not blind, however.”
She might as well stop after the word party. Most haters don’t think their hatred is blind, but it still discredits them.
If you’ve descended to hating your political opponents you’ve got off the rails. Dippers who hate the Conservatives, Conservatives who hate the Liberals or variations thereof are wasting everyone’s time in a discussion.
No no no.
I do not hate conservatives. My mother is a card carrying member of the CPC, and I assure you I do not hate her.
I hate the party – what it stands for and what it seeks to establish. The party is not a person.
It may look bad, but it is not on the same footing as proroguing, nor is it hypocritical to complain about prorogation and then abstain on a vote.
Issachar – would you prefer it if the LPC voted against the budget and forced us into an election?
Gayle, if they want it to pass, why not vote for it? What’s the big frikkin deal?
“Gayle says:
March 16, 2010 at 12:39 pm
No no no.
I do not hate conservatives. My mother is a card carrying member of the CPC, and I assure you I do not hate her.”
Liar.
Your Mother was a Conservative until she came to her belief that the Conservatives were responsible for your father’s cancer.
Gayle,
I know you meant the party. You said so. That’s why I used the capital “C” Conservatives. People who hate the Liberal party are wasting everyone’s time in a discussion. Same for people who hate the Conservative party.
.
As to what I want the Liberals to do… Ah my never quite ready for posting blog post…
But the short answer is this. I’d want them to vote for the budget and critique it. Only fools think that the opposition voting in favour of legislation means that they love every part of it.
The Liberals should vote for it on the bleedingly obvious basis that passing the budget is preferable to not passing it and having an election. As a voter I don’t have a lot of respect for abstaining.
If they vote for it or abstain and let it pass, what possible difference will it make to most Canadians?
Really. The only people who care are those who have nothing better to do.
“People who hate the Liberal party are wasting everyone’s time in a discussion. Same for people who hate the Conservative party.”
In your opinion.
If you can back up your points with facts and logic, then I hardly think it matters if you also hate the party.
But if this makes it convenient for you to ignore facts and logic, then that is just your good fortune.
“what possible difference will it make to most Canadians?”
Almost none. We’re used to such things.
I think that not showing up is a bad move for Ignatieff because it makes him look bad, but it’s still not that big of a deal.
Kind of like how prorogation isn’t that big of a deal. It cost them Conservatives a few points, but like most political things Canadians largely don’t care at all.
And Gayle, you sometimes back up your arguments with logic. This is why I still carry on conversations with you. Some of the time though, you’re just a ranting hater. The thing is that you can’t tell the difference from where you stand. Not that there aren’t a few haters who support the Conservatives on these threads, but that’s not the point.
Get over hating a political party Gayle. It’s sad.
Sure.
Anyway…
“Gayle says:
In your opinion.
But if this makes it convenient for you to ignore facts and logic, then that is just your good fortune.”
So tell us Gayle in your opinion which fact is true in your world:
1)Your mother is a card carrying Conservative according to your post here.Or
2)Your mother was but no longer is,according to another one of your posts, a card carrying Conservative because she believes that the Conservatives caused your father’s cancer?
How can you lecture others about facts and logic when you’re lying?
Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff called the prorogation of Parliament a “crazy way to run a democracy”
No Michael, a crazy way to run a democracy is to spend years whining and bitching about how everything the governing party does is detrimental to the nation, and yet continue to let it govern.
Canadians don’t want an election right now. Translation: It’s not to our partisan advantage to go to the polls.