Tory ploy could muzzle Liberal-dominated Senate
OTTAWA — When Liberal Senator Dennis Dawson introduced a private-member’s bill this spring, it was instantly denounced by the governing Conservatives as an “unCanadian” and anti-democratic assault on free speech.
So he was taken aback to discover a few weeks later that a Conservative MP had volunteered to sponsor his bill once it makes its way to the House of Commons.
Dawson’s bill is one of 28 private-members’ bills proposed by Liberal or independent senators that Tory MPs hastened to sponsor last month — a novel procedural tactic that Liberals suspect is designed to stop the bills dead in their tracks, despite government denials.
“They’ve found a way to hijack the process,” fumed Dawson.
“Now I know that even if I get (my bill) through the Senate … it will be hijacked in the other place by somebody who represents a party that’s already opposed to it.”
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Mac Says:
Perhaps, just perhaps, the Conservatives want to govern proactively rather than spending all of their time dealing with every notion which pops into the mind of a Senator?
Posted on July 5th, 2009 at 11:18 pm