CanPol: Gomery and a Looming Federal Election

[notyoueither]

It's closer than I thought, going by that bit.

Libs plus NDP plus Parish make 151.

The Tories and Bloc less two terminally ill Tories make 151.

Kilgour is out of the country and won't be back soon, or so I have heard. That will leave the Cadman to decide the fate of Mr. Martin's govt.

The problem with leaving Mr. Martin in til Dec is he will have til then to bribe as many votes as he can. That might be filed under business as usual, but what did I hear, something like 78 spending announcements in the last week?

What is worse is that the party that has it's hands caught well and truely glued in the cookie jar are sitting in power at the head of the RCMP, CCRA, and the decisions of who to prosecute in the courts.

Tell me how you delouse when the lice are running the asylum.

[notyoueither]

What does a Liberal mean by responsiblility? Do they mean 'I did it, I admit it, now you have to let me off without penalty because I said I was responsible'?

Chretien repeats apology for sponsorship mistakes
CTV.ca News Staff

Former prime minister Jean Chretien apologized Friday night for mistakes that were made during the sponsorship program, and said he takes full responsibility.

Chretien, in Philadelphia to collect an award for supporting same-sex marriage when he was prime minister, made his first public statement on the sponsorship scandal since his February testimony at the Gomery commission.

Chretien refused to share his thoughts on how beleaguered Prime Minister Paul Martin is handling the firestorm caused by the scandal. But he did say he still supports the Liberal party.

"I am a Liberal and if there's an election, I will vote Liberal with pleasure,'' he told reporters.

Chretien has made few public appearances since his testimony before Judge Gomery. He has denied knowledge of any misspending under the sponsorship program, in which $100 million in federal advertising funds were allegedly funneled to Liberal party supporters for little or no work.

The former prime minister reminded reporters that he already apologized for the mistakes at his appearance before the Gomery inquiry.

"Did you read my statement?" he asked angrily. "In my statement, I said I was sorry if mistakes were made, and I said I have to take the full responsibility of what's good and what's bad when you're the prime minister.''

He said the program was good for the country, and that those who abused it deserve to be punished.

"These people betrayed the nation, betrayed the government and myself."

Chretien then reminded reporters that he notified police in March, 2002, upon discovering what was happening with the program, adding that "the first case was in front of the court before I left, and even before . . . the auditor general's report.''

Advertising executive Paul Coffin, who testified at the inquiry this week, was the first to be charged in the affair.

In spite of his assertion for the need to punish those responsible, Chretien is appealing to the Federal Court to remove Justice Gomery as head of the inquiry.

Chretien has alleged that Gomery is biased and unable to deliver an impartial evaluation of the his role in the sponsorship affair.

Chretien's challenge is expected to be heard in Federal Court on June 7. If his action is successful, it could delay or block Gomery's commission report, due out at the end of the year.

Martin has said he will fight to keep Gomery as head of the commission.

With files from The Canadian Press

Well, if Mr Chretien is so responsible, perhaps we can expect the RCMP to be knocking on his door someday soon.

[Seeker]

Well from what I've been seeing on TV there does seem to be a lot of talk about spend spend spend, 'opening the pursestrings', 'no better opportunity for funding' etc from tonnes of groups.

It's sad, but if the gov'mt doesn't fall Martin WILL be able to buy the Canada off. So much for the party of fiscal restraint.

[St Leo]

I am pretty sure there'll be a summer election. The NDP support deal does not extend beyond the budget (especially now that Martin has reneged on half of it).

[Richelieu]

Originally posted by KrazyHorse

I'm half Québecois, you know...

That's a strange statement. I thought you were from Montreal.

[Richelieu]

Originally posted by KrazyHorse
Move on about the Plains of Abraham already. It's not like Canada mistreats Quebec nowadays, despite the whinings of a few Albertans...

Who said anything about that?

[KrazyHorse]

Originally posted by Richelieu


That's a strange statement. I thought you were from Montreal.

Actually, my great-grandparents moved down to Montreal. Before that they were around Lac Saint-Jean...

[KrazyHorse]

Originally posted by Richelieu


Who said anything about that?

The Louisianans can be pissed about 1755. Everybody else got to stay right where they were.

[Ben Kenobi]

Tories and NDP having a workable majority woule be funnier than hell.

Indeed. Wonder how much Layton would be selling his support?

[St Leo]

Originally posted by Drake Tungsten
I was talking more about publication bans, which the American press hasn't been muzzled by since the '70's.

Yes, but you hold your congressional inquiries behind closed doors with not press attendance at all.

[St Leo]

Originally posted by Ben Kenobi
Indeed. Wonder how much Layton would be selling his support?

Conservatives could offer NDP Proportional Representation, but I can't imagine what NDP would be willing to support in return. Perhaps something silly and pointless like an elected senate.

A formal coalition is right out. There is no way the NDP would ever vote for any Harper budget.

[notyoueither]

Harper and Layton (and the rest) should stop throwing things at each other.

The Liberals have to be ousted. I'm pretty sure nobody wants to see what happens if a majority of seats in Ontario go to the Libs and they manage to hang on to government somehow. It could get really ugly really fast, and not just in Quebec.

The truth is that without Bloc Quebec in the government equation (they don't want it even if ROC got over it and recognised that they are the legitimate representatives of their ridings) Parliament is hamstrung.

Harper and Layton better grow up real fast and realise that there are bigger things at stake here than the flavour of the next budget, or who gets to marry who.

[embalmer42]

Canadians (and Ontario has to shoulder a large part of the blame) have shown they are quite willing to put up with Liberal corruption in the past because they have bought into the Liberal scare mongering hook, line and sinker and I see nothing to suggest that things will change any time soon.

NYE - by "things getting ugly real fast" are you talking seperation (either Quebec and/or Western Canada) if the Liberals are re-elected (with either a minority or majority)? And if so, do you think most Canadians realize the stakes are that high?

[St Leo]

Originally posted by notyoueither
The Liberals have to be ousted.

How? If we oust them now, they'll just get back in next spring when Harper's government collapses.

Which actually would be very good for the NDP because both the Liberals and Conservatives will be discredited. So, I think that Harper will get his motion of no confidence through and a summer election to celebrate it.

I'm pretty sure nobody wants to see what happens if a majority of seats in Ontario go to the Libs and they manage to hang on to government somehow. It could get really ugly really fast, and not just in Quebec.

If the Conservatives want to rename themselves to Bloc Alberta, they are welcome to it.

The truth is that without Bloc Quebec in the government equation (they don't want it even if ROC got over it and recognised that they are the legitimate representatives of their ridings) Parliament is hamstrung.

FYI: ROC = Rest of Canada

Harper and Layton better grow up real fast and realise that there are bigger things at stake here than the flavour of the next budget, or who gets to marry who.

Not really. The law is catching up to those who have broken it. The Gomery Inquiry seems to be working.

As for bigger things, Harper wants to dismantle Canada by devolving powers to the provinces and to hobble the federal government by instituting an elected Senate. The Liberals would have to steal very hard to top that when it comes to damaging the country.

[notyoueither]

Originally posted by embalmer42
Canadians (and Ontario has to shoulder a large part of the blame) have shown they are quite willing to put up with Liberal corruption in the past because they have bought into the Liberal scare mongering hook, line and sinker and I see nothing to suggest that things will change any time soon.

NYE - by "things getting ugly real fast" are you talking seperation (either Quebec and/or Western Canada) if the Liberals are re-elected (with either a minority or majority)? And if so, do you think most Canadians realize the stakes are that high?

There's a lot of grumbling going on. A lot of people were very upset about how the last campaign took a turn into Alberta bashing over health care, and the campaign before that where a party leader was lampooned for being a church goer from Alberta, and etc...

This 'campaign' already has a fair dose of 'evil Alberta' and it hasn't even been launched yet.

Add to that the damage to the credibility of federalism that would be dealt by returning the thieves to power when the theft has been laid bare, and I don't know what would happen. However, I doubt the public discourse would be pretty. I'd be a lot more worried about Quebec, but some of the likely suspects are already mentioning seperatism in Alberta should the Libs get back in under these circumstances.

Do people in Ontario and the Maritimes realise it? I doubt it. Quebec has been at it for a generation. People tire of fearing the wolf and begin to ignore warnings that come to naught. It would be a dangerous combination if people discounted the possibility and then gift wrapped a discredited federal system to seperatists.