May 23, 2006: #5

Paul Jackson: Right Direction -- Conservatives gain ground -- but it's no revolution Calgary Sun, May 23, 06

[....] It's harder to explain to an audience that a political party or government in a nation with a four-party system can't act in the same way as a party and government in a two-party system. OK, it's true the U.S. has some fringe third parties, but they rarely amount to much, except when on the right they syphon votes from the Republicans and on the left syphon votes from the Democrats.

Especially until he wins a majority -- and he will -- Harper has to juggle to get his legislation passed, making deals with the Liberals, New Democrats or Bloc Quebecois, in much the same way as when a president hasn't got a majority in the Senate or the House of Representatives, and has to try and pull any number of diverse senators and congressmen onside.

[....] The American Thinker (www.americanthinker.com) [....]

MP's Considering Their Future As MPs -- Is it possible that some Bloc MPs may be afraid a Conservative will take their seat next election and are considering crossing to the Conservatives? May 22, 06, via R.



Friends deserve respect NatPost, May 20, 06

[....] There are certain basic courtesies that members of Parliament should extend to visiting world leaders: When the prime minister of one of Canada's closest allies addresses a joint sitting of the Houses of Parliament, it should be a no-brainer for Canadian MPs of all political stripes that attendance is in order.

Yet when Mr. Howard spoke to Parliament -- the first time an Australian prime minister has done so since 1944 -- dozens of Opposition Liberal MPs did not trouble to show up. Even former prime minister Paul Martin, who used to pride himself on his diplomatic skills, gave the occasion a pass. The result was a disconcerting number of empty seats, leaving a distinct impression that Canada's Liberals were giving Mr. Howard the cold shoulder. [....]

Background: Liberals Snub Australian PM: 49 of 102 in the House -- Ex-PM Martin skipped it too Kathleen Harris, Ottawa Sun, May 20, 06



Andrew Coyne: Trashing Parliament National Post

[....] So Parliament spirals ever downward into irrelevance.

It started with the rejection of Gwyn Morgan as head of the new Public Appointments Commission by a six-member majority of the Commons Operations committee. I trust those exquisites given to fluttering about the dangers of "American-style" confirmation hearings will have the decency to shut up after this travesty: the Americans should rather be concerned about things degenerating to Canadian levels.

I'm not kidding. No Congressional committee would ever treat a nominee for public office, particularly one of Mr. Morgan's stature, with such reckless disregard for reputation as we saw this week. Through long experience, the Americans know an open confirmation process depends on all sides agreeing to stay within certain boundaries: the President's choices, unless clearly unsuited, are generally given the benefit of the doubt. Otherwise the whole thing descends into partisan score-settling. [....]

It descended into partisanship a long time ago ... maybe about the time we began to get career politicians for whom Parliament was an enriching experience ...

My assessment? The Liberals, particularly, have so much invested in plans ... and any clean-up of the system as it has been would decimate key players ...... Additionally, perhaps for any involved in corruption it should involve gaol, considering what taxpayers lost in Adscam and who-knows-what-else.

Onward and upward, Prime Minister!



What's up with Jane Taber? -- "It gets worse on TV. I mean, who opens up an interview with the question "Are you a bigot?" " -- to Mr. Morgan Daifallah, May 21, 2006

I have been meaning to touch on this for a few days now: Jane Taber's work lately has been beyond the pale. Her dislike for the Tories was always fairly evident, but for some reason it went into overdrive last week. I don't know whether it's that she's overworked from her double duty as a Globe scribe and a CTV talking head or that the Harper press shop is treating her badly, but what she is doing is not right.

My antennae first went up when I saw [. . . . ]

Comment: Morgan Denied by LIEberal/N'Dippers Porkers casper34, 5/22/2006

Remember when the CPC proposed questioning of the Supreme court candidates. The opposition cried that it would become a US style grilling and that the best candidates would no longer be interested.

Yet, they turn around and use exactly those tactics with this Gwyn Morgan fella. [....]

Equalization Down Under

Paul Stanway: A solution Down Under our noses May 21, 2006

In July 2000, the government of Aussie PM John Howard brought in a national goods and services tax, much the same as ours. But Howard used it to replace Australia's outdated version of equalization, with that country's state governments getting all the revenue from the GST.

Howard even managed to get Australia's premiers to nix a whole range of state taxes in return for the GST revenue, which resulted in an overall reduction of taxes by almost 14%. Everyone was a winner!

[. . . . ]



Desertion charges dropped against former JTF2 soldier -- The charge was dropped after Montgomery Paisley's lawyer presented evidence that the former Joint Task Force 2 soldier was suffering from a "major depressive disorder," ....Military prosecutors said it was in the "public interest" to drop the case against the former JTF2 sergeant.



Inuit protest teaching of evolution -- Quebec teacher [Alexandre April ] vows to continue Allison Lampert, CanWest, May 20, 06

Debate over the teaching of evolution in Salluit -- a village of 1,150 located at the corner of Ungava and Hudson Bay -- is pitting an increasingly religious Inuit population against a Quebec education system that is becoming more secular. Courses about the Catholic and Protestant religions will soon be removed from public schools. [....]

Legally, Inuit schools in Quebec's North must teach evolution. [....]