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Recovering backpacker, Cornwallite at heart, political enthusiast, catalyst, writer, husband, father, community volunteer, unabashedly proud Canadian. Every hyperlink connects to something related directly or thematically to that which is highlighted.

Tuesday 23 September 2014

The Death of Parliament


 
The purpose of Parliament is to hold Government - the Queen and her Ministers - to account.  That's why Parliament exists; MPs represent constituents and hold government to account on their behalf.
 
Yet here we have a government formed from the political party with the most MPs in the House, elected by a minority of eligible voters in Canada, essentially giving the finger to Parliament.
 
Our representatives.
 
Asked a serious question about a war that Canada is engaging in - one which will have repercussions for Canadian families and may result in retaliatory strikes on Canadian soil - the Prime Minister's errand boy retorts with, in essence, "I'm the king of the castle and you're the dirty rascal."
 
Even worse - the Speaker, who's job it is to keep Parliament functioning properly, has clearly decided he know which side his bread is buttered on.  The arbiter of the people's interest has sided with the king.
 
That's how this government responds to Parliament - with contempt.  They do not feel beholden to Parliament; if anything, they see Parliament as a straw man.  One can't but feel bad for Peter Milliken.
 
I don't care how you feel about Tom Mulcair, the NDP or for that matter, the governing Conservatives - if you condone this sort of practice or "don't care" about the functioning of Parliament, then you frankly don't care about democracy.  Or how the PM spends our money.  Or how he puts our soldiers, and ourselves, at risk.
 
We are sold propaganda; legitimate criticism is shot down, defunded or accused of treason.  Yet it's us who have decided we can't see the short-term ROI on getting informed and getting engaged.
 
Such is not democracy.  Our Prime Minister has become king; we let it happen.
 
That is the price we pay for indifference.


 

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