The Dying MP and the Cruelty of the Cons

There couldn't have been a more moving scene in the House of Commons.

Liberal MP Mauril Belanger, who is dying of ALS, trying to get MPs to approve his bill to make our anthem more gender neutral.

But even though the bill has the support of most MPs, and it is the cause of his life.

The Cons did their best to make sure that he doesn't live to see it pass.

Conservative MPs have slowed down a bill brought forward by a Liberal suffering from a fatal neurological disease, leading many of his colleagues to fear he won’t live to see it play out in Parliament.

Mr. Belanger, who has lost the use of his voice since his diagnosis in November, sat in a wheelchair and used an iPad to electronically project his speech in the Commons, which explained why he believes the English version of the anthem should be changed from “true patriot love in all thy sons command” to “all of us command.”

By filibustering the bill until the clock ran out with absurd arguments like this one:

“Rewriting the lyrics of our national anthem in the name of political correctness would go too far,” said Manitoba Conservative MP Larry Maguire. 

“Without making any light of it, maybe the botanists will be in an uproar about the shape of the maple leaf on our flag and demand it to be changed. Or some may be upset that the almighty beaver will not stop chopping down trees, so the National Symbol of Canada Act must be amended to swap out a beaver for an animal far less destructive.”

Even though that small two-word change is not a matter of political correctness. It simply reflects that this country is made up of men AND women. All Canadians should be included in its anthem, and be able to sing it proudly.

And Larry Maguire is just another sexist old Con...



Who would bury the bill until September.

When the hour of debate was up, the Liberals asked that it be extended in order to move the bill to the next stage of the parliamentary process – which would be a committee study. 

But the Conservatives said no, and that means the bill will fall down to the bottom of the pile. Liberal MP Greg Fergus, who asked for the debate to be extended in order to keep Mr. Belanger’s bill going, said it won’t be considered again until September 19 unless another MP switches spots with him.

By which time Belanger could be dead.

And really what more can any decent person say?

Except that Rona Ambrose's new/nouveau Cons are as depraved and as cruel as the Harper Cons...



The same old inhuman scumbags.

And since Mauril Belanger had to drag himself out of hospital to make it to the Commons, and his health is said to be deteriorating rapidly.

Will some Liberal or NDP MP with a private bill please switch places with him as quickly as possible.

So he can at least hope to live to see his humble dream become reality...

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