Thursday, March 18, 2010

The Day Canadians Stood Up for Democracy











It was sunny and warm today. And I wasn't in the mood for serious blogging...as you may have noticed.

But how could I not write about this?

“The Prime Minister’s refusal to respect the will of Parliament is a serious abuse of power. He is not a king. He answers to the will of Parliament, not the reverse,” NDP MP Jack Harris said.

The day when the opposition joined forces and stood up for the House of the Canadian People.

And my Canada never looked better.

I don't know where this process will take us. And like Don Martin I believe it could trigger an election.

It’s now Parliament verses the Prime Minister in the battle for procedural supremacy. And Stephen Harper doesn’t back down when his will is under combined opposition attack.

But I don't agree that Harper is in such a strong position. I believe he is vulnerable if push comes to shove. And I do know that weakness will get us nowhere.

And that it's the right thing to do, even if it does trigger an election, because nothing is more important than defending our democratic system.

Or telling a Prime Minister he isn't a King or a President. This is Canada not Amerika...




















And enough is ENOUGH.

Oh boy. Canadian politics is about to get a lot more interesting. I am full of hope again.

The opposition parties were magnificent.

And from where I was today my Canada never looked better...

2 comments:

Jennifer Smith said...

I still have my doubts that anyone can beat Stephen Harper in an election over this, but this is one instance where I really don't care. This is about human rights, the rule of law, and the fundamentals of our democracy. The opposition parties MUST stand firm.

All I ask is that the next Federal election not be held anywhere near October 25th. I'm busy that day.

Simon said...

hi Jennifer...I agree that Harper might have some wind in his sails right now. And I would have preferred a fall election right after the auditor general delivers her verdict on the Economic Action Plan. But as I said in my post, I believe that Harper is more vulnerable than he might appear. His government is striking out in all directions and I think that if pressured the King Cookie might crumble. But as you said sometimes you have no choice and you have to do the right thing and to hell with the consequences.
Even though we may have to take extraordinary measures to make sure it isn't on the 25th of October... :)