Phony reform??

[ivbinconned]

One thing it has accomplished is that it sure blew the Dingbat.... eerrr.... Dingwall story off the map. An outrageous act of contempt for wilagro the taxpayer!

One thing is certain and that is that had the conservatives obtained a majority none of this would have happened. They where delt a hand...and they are playing it.

In our system, with no provisions YET for initutive, referendum or recall, MPs have a great deal of autonomy...and probably even more than usual with this conservative government.

No system is in place...YET for an elected senate and appointing senators is the norm, NOW, and appointing them to the senate has happened before...remember Hason Argue, a liberal appointed NDP senator that that was named to cabinate and was in charge of the wheat board.

[cowman]

Well personally I think Harper made a mistake on this one and it is definitely not the way to start out!
The fact is Emmerson is THE expert on the softwood lumber trade deal and to lose him now would put Canada behind the eightball? Maybe a better way would have been to hire him as a paid consultant or something?
As for Fortier...that is pretty hard to justify! I think we all realize the Conservative party is on the verge of a major breakthrough in Quebec and adding Fortier might be necessary to achieve that breakthrough?
Hey there are a lot of dirty little deals that happen in politics? If you believe otherwise then I would suggest you might believe in the tooth fairy?
My own MP, Bob Mills, is a classic example. With Harper since 1993, environment critic the last couple of terms...probably knows more about the environment than any other conservative? Doesn't get the cabinet job because some airhead from Edmonton needs a cabinet post! Main qualification...shes a woman!
Thats just how the cookie crumbles? Politics is just like business? One hand washes the other? You have to play the game if you want to be in the game?
In the ideal world it would be nice if our politicians could be saints or something...but in the REAL world...well you get my drift.

[cowman]

NOW COWMAN....Rona Ambrose has done a significant amount of work in the area of Kyoto and from what I understand she is a very well spoken, bright individual. I don't really think that Harper gave much air time to putting people into his cabinet based on minorities or which gender they happen to be. He has only one visable minority member in his cabinet and the Liberals had several.
He has less female members as well, so I don't buy the theory that Rona was appointed because she is a woman.
Personally, I would have preferred to see Diane Abolonzy in cabinet because of her years of experience and loyalty to the three parties that make up the Conservatives. That is the glaring error Harper made in appointing cabinet members from Alberta in my view.

He is going to have a storm to weather when the session starts in April, and I don't think the Emerson issue will have died down by then.

[ivbinconned]

One thing is for sure...we don't KNOW what has gone on behind closed doors but there is no doubt in my mind that all these desisions have been made with the next election in mind. The role that Dianne plays in that effort may well be whats behind her assignment.

The next election I suspect will happen sooner than later...could be before the year is out, making all appointments temporary.

[cakadu]

The point is that they were not going to do ANYTHING like this and already there are people making excuses as to why it is okay. Either it is okay or it isn't. Yes, the Conservatives were dealt a slim minority government and their job is to make the best of it - not start off on the wrong foot.

NO we don't have an elected Senate yet, but all along the Conservatives have been talking ad nauseum about the need for an elected Senate. Should they have added the proviso "unless we need an appointment to further our cause".

Emrald is right - Emerson should call a bi-election which may not bode well for him given that it would mean people in his riding would go to the polls yet again. People supported him as a Liberal and he may not have gotten the same support as a Conservative.

Harper and his handlers would do well to remember that they are in power as a result of people being tired of the Liberals and NOT because people wanted this Conservative government. They may very well be thinking of the next election, but to start off this way was a bad, bad mistake.

[cowman]

Well Linda someone thought it would work and time will tell I guess?
Flip flops are nothing new in Parliment? The former Alliance did a good one on the pension issue?
And lets not forget the Liberal flipflops on the GST and the free trade deal?
Hey, what can you say? They all do it, they always have, and they always will?
Now if you are so offended by the "boy scouts" turning out to be a "street gang", then it is simple...don't vote for them...again! If you can convince the other 80% of Albertans then you will get the other guys...who also do flipflops! I suspect, despite their evil ways, we'll be Tory Blue for a long time...at least in Alberta?

[cowman]

I think that the issue with Emerson wouldn't have caused as much concern if he had crossed the floor six months or a year into the new mandate. Having the Prime Minister call him and invite him to cross the floor for a cabinet post is what smells somewhat rotten. Now this issue will be front and centre as long as the media can get mileage out of it.
Several Conservative MP's have spoken out already which shows that Harper doesn't really have a tight rein on his caucus, and that won't bode well for him as time passes.

I think that the country was really looking forward to a fresh new direction for Canadian politics, and even if this decision has the potential to be the best for B.C. and Canada it is tainted with a stigma and thats not the way a new leader should start his reign.

[ivbinconned]

That cp members speak their minds does not bother me.

"Where everyone thinks the same...no one thinks very much!"

[FarmRanger]

Hey people, keep in mind we just voted out the battered demolition derby beater of a Liberal party. If the shiny new Conservative government gets a ding in the door, isn’t it still better than the wreck we just traded? Hopefully they can pound it out and avoid any further mishaps. Remember, the last government was constantly and purposely ramming itself into these kinds of ethical problems. This is still a ding in the door, versus a highway headon; not justifying it, just trying to keep perspective. It’s just more disappointing because we expected this kind of thing to end January 24th. Just hope it’s not a sign of things to come, or we’ll soon have the beater parked in the driveway again.

[cakadu]

That's a good analogy FarmRanger. You do get very upset with the first ding in your shiny new car. You get over it, but you know it is the first of more to come.