And Bob Rae
http://www.torontosun.com/comment/columnists/christina_blizzard/2010/01/22/12577221.html
Christina Blizzard- Let me tell you about the biggest rogue who’s a pro when it comes to prorogation.
Stephen Harper, you say?
Absolutely not.
I give you Bob Rae, King of the Prorogues.
Yep, that Bob Rae. Remember when he was premier? Sure, he was a preachy New Democrat back then. Now, he’s a preachy Liberal and part of the cabal slamming Harper for his so-called assault on democracy.
There’s a YouTube video that shows him slamming Harper’s prorogation of Parliament — to the tune of Let It Be.
What a hypocrite!
As premier, he prorogued this Legislature not once, not twice — but three times. And for much longer than Harper has prorogued the federal Parliament.
Rae’s NDP won power Sept. 6, 1990. On Dec. 19, 1991, Rae prorogued the House. They didn’t come back until April 6, 1992. He then prorogued again, Dec. 10, 1992 — and didn’t come back until April 13, 1993.
By 1994, his government had run out of steam. They were running double-digit deficits and he’d doubled the debt. Some of his experimental policies proved laughable at best and disastrous at worst.
Limping badly, he prorogued for the third time on Dec. 9, 1994. The House did not sit again until the legislature was dissolved April 28, 1995.
Rae didn’t even bring in a budget that year.
For four-and-a-half months, this province had no sitting Legislature.
Was there a grass-roots uprising of self-righteous people decrying Rae for ending democracy?
Was there heck? Why?
Our saviour?
Because those smarmy types who like to attack Harper as being undemocratic are the people who think Rae is a genius and the saviour of our country.
The criticisms that have been levelled at Harper are nonsensical — generally expounded by ivory tower types who’d never heard of prorogation until Harper did it in 2008.
Why did Harper prorogue back then? Because one Bob Rae refused to accept the election result. Like it or not, Canadians gave Harper a minority government.
It was the third time Rae has tried to topple a minority government. His previous two attempts were successful. In 1985, he moved the non-confidence motion that brought down Frank Miller’s Tories. Five years earlier, he brought in the amendment to Joe Clark’s budget that toppled him, too.
That’s why they call Rae “Back Door Bob” around here.
Rae and his massive ego simply can’t make the kind of accommodations needed to make minority government work. He brings them down at the first possible occasion.
Prorogations are routine parliamentary procedure. You can’t end a session without one — unless you dissolve Parliament.
They used to have prorogation speeches here. The press gallery used to celebrate with a paper slide. As the lieutenant-governor finished the speech, we’d throw our papers over the edge of the gallery to the floor of the chamber and onto her head. I think they stopped the speeches after the gallery put on one particularly passive-aggressive paper slide. It was more a throw than a slide and it made the lieutenant-governor nervous. Now the government usually prorogues while the House isn’t sitting.
In 1974, then-Premier Bill Davis prorogued the House at 10 a.m. — and delivered a Throne Speech starting the new session at 3 p.m. the same day.
Choke on this
Those lefties who think long sessions mean good government can choke on this: The longest session in the history of the Legislature was Mike Harris’ first — it lasted 813 days. The current session has lasted 785 days. If the government doesn’t put it out of its misery and mercifully prorogue by Feb. 19, it will set a new record.
And if you think MPPs are working here, dream on. The House hasn’t sat since mid-December and won’t return until mid-February.
Hmmm. Premier Dalton McGuinty, this session has lasted far too long. It’s time to prorogue. In fact, I demand it. I think I will start my own pro-prorogation Facebook page.
http://www.torontosun.com/comment/columnists/christina_blizzard/2010/01/22/12577221.html
Christina Blizzard- Let me tell you about the biggest rogue who’s a pro when it comes to prorogation.
Stephen Harper, you say?
Absolutely not.
I give you Bob Rae, King of the Prorogues.
Yep, that Bob Rae. Remember when he was premier? Sure, he was a preachy New Democrat back then. Now, he’s a preachy Liberal and part of the cabal slamming Harper for his so-called assault on democracy.
There’s a YouTube video that shows him slamming Harper’s prorogation of Parliament — to the tune of Let It Be.
What a hypocrite!
As premier, he prorogued this Legislature not once, not twice — but three times. And for much longer than Harper has prorogued the federal Parliament.
Rae’s NDP won power Sept. 6, 1990. On Dec. 19, 1991, Rae prorogued the House. They didn’t come back until April 6, 1992. He then prorogued again, Dec. 10, 1992 — and didn’t come back until April 13, 1993.
By 1994, his government had run out of steam. They were running double-digit deficits and he’d doubled the debt. Some of his experimental policies proved laughable at best and disastrous at worst.
Limping badly, he prorogued for the third time on Dec. 9, 1994. The House did not sit again until the legislature was dissolved April 28, 1995.
Rae didn’t even bring in a budget that year.
For four-and-a-half months, this province had no sitting Legislature.
Was there a grass-roots uprising of self-righteous people decrying Rae for ending democracy?
Was there heck? Why?
Our saviour?
Because those smarmy types who like to attack Harper as being undemocratic are the people who think Rae is a genius and the saviour of our country.
The criticisms that have been levelled at Harper are nonsensical — generally expounded by ivory tower types who’d never heard of prorogation until Harper did it in 2008.
Why did Harper prorogue back then? Because one Bob Rae refused to accept the election result. Like it or not, Canadians gave Harper a minority government.
It was the third time Rae has tried to topple a minority government. His previous two attempts were successful. In 1985, he moved the non-confidence motion that brought down Frank Miller’s Tories. Five years earlier, he brought in the amendment to Joe Clark’s budget that toppled him, too.
That’s why they call Rae “Back Door Bob” around here.
Rae and his massive ego simply can’t make the kind of accommodations needed to make minority government work. He brings them down at the first possible occasion.
Prorogations are routine parliamentary procedure. You can’t end a session without one — unless you dissolve Parliament.
They used to have prorogation speeches here. The press gallery used to celebrate with a paper slide. As the lieutenant-governor finished the speech, we’d throw our papers over the edge of the gallery to the floor of the chamber and onto her head. I think they stopped the speeches after the gallery put on one particularly passive-aggressive paper slide. It was more a throw than a slide and it made the lieutenant-governor nervous. Now the government usually prorogues while the House isn’t sitting.
In 1974, then-Premier Bill Davis prorogued the House at 10 a.m. — and delivered a Throne Speech starting the new session at 3 p.m. the same day.
Choke on this
Those lefties who think long sessions mean good government can choke on this: The longest session in the history of the Legislature was Mike Harris’ first — it lasted 813 days. The current session has lasted 785 days. If the government doesn’t put it out of its misery and mercifully prorogue by Feb. 19, it will set a new record.
And if you think MPPs are working here, dream on. The House hasn’t sat since mid-December and won’t return until mid-February.
Hmmm. Premier Dalton McGuinty, this session has lasted far too long. It’s time to prorogue. In fact, I demand it. I think I will start my own pro-prorogation Facebook page.
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