Political Ottawa is feeling its way these days. Nobody is used to the new regimen. It has been too long since Canada had a majority government. And the political naiveté of the official opposition might be the least of the problems.
It seems to be Harper’s people who have yet to get their minds around the etiquette of a majority position. Hell, these people were arrogant in minority, what else would you expect when in a majority.
Take Treasury Board President Tony Clement from Muskoka. (Please.) Sure, he was wallowing in the pork barrel last year with his lavishing G8 funds on his riding but why does he need to stonewall the opposition? It just makes him look doubly guilty. Someone has obviously finally said to him that he can go talk to the parliamentary committee on the subject and, since the committee will be a majority of mindless Conservative backbenchers, they will do what they are told. Case over!
The truly lost lambs of Ottawa are not the accidental NDP MPs of Quebec but the cannon fodder Conservatives that Harper dragged to Ottawa on his coattails. The first one of them that tries to buttonhole Harper to ask him what to do is in trouble. Not only will the miscreant be beaten severely by the Emperor’s staff but they will discover that Harper has had a pillory placed behind the Parliamentary Library just for such upstarts.
Mind you, buttonholing Harper will be quite a trick as he busily plans his next four years of world tours and triumphs. Remember that those generals, R.C.M. Police Commissioners and pretenders to the throne such as Peter MacKay are cheapskate frequent flyers compared to the Imperial Prime Minister when it comes to the use of government jets. He gets the real big planes!
What has really confused people is the haste that Harper is giving to his conservative agenda. His own back bench get to see this new omnibus crime bill one day and it is gone the next. Why he does not want his majority government to flaunt the legislation is a bit of a puzzle. He has not even allowed time to see if things are spelled properly.
We all understand Harper’s right wing direction but is there something else about this legislation, he does not want us to see?
-30-
Copyright 2011 © Peter Lowry
Complaints, comments, criticisms and compliments can be sent to [email protected]