Today's Question period

[oneoff]

Today the speaker of the House informed Canadians and their elected representatives that they should have no expectations of receiving an answer to any questions presented during question period. Let alone "satisfactory" answers
The speaker made it clear that there would be repercussions if his biases were questioned. He also defended doing nothing about the governing party deciding to ignore questions that were decided would not be entertained.

The question is if the founders of this nation intended that such behavior in Parlament was to be the way business would be conducted.

If not; then in what time period did politicians diverge from "Question/Answer Period" to strictly question peiod when it was considered expedient. Because the speaker never contemplated that possible founding principal. Those were days of nation building; and we are now seemingly in the demolition stage of democacy.

I'm thinking there is so much more that Parliament could be.

But no intention by Conservatives to weaken their grasp on the levers of power. The fortunate thing is that the electorate does occassionally uncerimoniously damp despots. And they will perhaps hold a wake and wonder how they became so out of tune with their former electorate.

[rockpile]

For a real eye opener, google a question period in the British House of Commons. Questions are posed in very respectable ways, often with humour and satire, and answered in kind but almost always with actual real answers. And the PM is not immune, even from his own Party. This bullshit we have here is an insult to the rights of average citizens to their right to be informed. If you follow Tom Flanagan,who guided Harper to his first victory in 2006, he stated in his book about Harper that the CPC took the Machavallian (sp) that the ends justify the means. And they've taken it to the level where there is complete contempt for the rules of Parliament, disclosure, transparency and responsibility to the electorate. Too bad, because they campaigned on the theme of responsible government, openness and grass roots representation. They blew it, like Peter Fonda said in Easy Rider.

[sumdumguy]

Do you think that is why I get an e-mail a day from the Conservative party asking for money, to shore up their slush fund. Not to mention how many phone calls. Give me a break. You want to dismantle every program out West and then call on the Westerners to ante up. Of course, I'll get right on it.

[bucket]

They call you. Wow.

I call Ottawa regularly and no one returns calls.

[farmaholic]

bucket, Try donating some money to their political party first...;-0

[bucket]

This is government. Taxes and a vote should be enough.

Donate to these inept fools? Not likely.

If a person asks a question to politicians in Canada they deserve an answer. If it has to be paid for first then we have a problem.

I notice the staffer in ritz's office are other MPs relatives. Do they just pay ritz to get a job as well as you are suggesting I have to pay to get an answer.?

That's great. Little wonder how they botched the railway fine, The introduction of the open market, and been allowed to gut farm programs and change seed rules.

With the right " DONATION" you can get an answer or the results you need.

That's not the canada I want for my kid.

Chretien tried that.

[oneoff]

We'll see how many of the electorate have their eyes ope. You know this type of system does work very well for a certain segment of the Canadian population.

Its all a function of how long the attention span is for the an average person; the "Rod Ford effect" and whether most people can even open their eyes and ears.

[mustardman]

Tom ? Tom ? Where's Tom? We need you to defend your great transparent accountable fair grassroots democratic honest conservative government. cheers !!

[sumdumguy]

I can hear a pin drop.

[oneoff]

Yes Tom....it is time to weigh in. Like they say (in some good book)...all it takes for evil to triumph is for no voices to oppose it.