Perusing my morning read, I see that Prime Minister Stephen Harper has set a trap for the opposition. Some trap.
By suggesting that the House sit an additional 12 days in March and April, Mr. Harper has badly outmanoeuvred Jack Layton and Michael Ignatieff. With both gentlemen having been out of the country when the media-stimulated prorogation storm hit Canada, this is an offer that neither can refuse.
How so?
According to the House of Commons calendar, MPs are to sit for a week and a half when they return in March, would then sit another nine days, following which they would have another two weeks off in April.
Perhaps that’s the way business is done in Ottawa on the taxpayer’s dime. However, you want to see a grassroots revolt? I’ll show you one. Nor would it look particularly good for opposition MPs to put their plans for two more vacations ahead of the pressing need to examine whether Richard Colvin is to be believed in alleging that members of the Canadian Forces abetted the commission of war crimes in Afghanistan.
Speaking of Afghanistan, yesterday Mr. Harper smoothly took the option of repatriating Omar Khadr off the table.
Why is this important?
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Updates:
6:41 pm EST, February 4th, 2010 — “Mr Harper continues to surprise”: Indeed he does (laughing)
Latest EKOS poll -
Grits 31.9%
Tories 31%
ndp 15.4%
Grn 10.9%
And is this the kind of thing thats hurting the federal tories?
PM Harper’s appointment of drug company’s VP to Canadian Institute of Health Research is also a REGISTERED LOBBYIST … to CIHR.
I thought Harper was going to be different from the lieberals?
http://www.thecoast.ca/halifax/bernard-prijent-pfizers-inside-man-/Content?oid=1503474
Conservative standings in the polls rise and fall. What always stuns me is that no matter what, Liberals are hard pressed to fall much below 30% regardless of what they do, or how apparent and deep the corruption they have engaged in is.
When the PC’s strayed too far from conservative values, conservatives abandoned them. When Libs do, there seems to be a circling of the wagons among the base.
‘A trap’ – HM PM should have done this 30 days ago.
#3 – Exactly! Hardly much of a trap when your own caucus will be opposed.
I think its a great idea. MPs are not exactly the hardest working bunch of people, and a few extra days of meetings and pretending to do legislative business is warranted given their large salaries.
The new found Liberal “support” is extremely shallow and can turn on a dime. Presently, Ignatieff is shadow boxing an imaginary enemy because the fight hasn’t even started. But when the punches start to fly, Ignatieff is going to look like George Forman when Ali used the “rope-a-dope” tactic on him. The more Ignatieff exposes himself from his little hole, it will become harder and harder for the Liberal controlled media to cover for him. And the internet will play a big role as the Liberal owned so-called “mainstream” media loses control.
Re: #5 — “The new found Liberal “support” is extremely shallow and can turn on a dime.”
I think you’re correct, John. We’ll see how it plays out but I’m not paying attention to the polls. The only one that counts is an election as you well know and anything can happen.
I read an article about this first thing this morning and my first thought was “petulant schoolboy“, my second thought was, “well, he did promise us transparency” – this is not only as transparent as it gets, but everybody who hasn’t committed themselves to cheering for Harper regardless of what he says or does, sees it.
I asked a couple of my Conservative friends what they thought this afternoon and they both admitted it was lame.
I think Spector is correct. People should sit up and pay attention.
Just to let everyone know I just put up a post that the U.S. has made a deal with Canada re “Buy American.”
‘Buy American’ I thought that most things were made in China.