Liberal=Left — as in, exit stage
What a pathetic display of political gamesmanship in the House of Commons yesterday. Rather than vote on a Conservative crime bill, the entire Liberal contingent in the Commons walked out. Naturally that allowed the bill to pass with ease. And theoretically, I suppose it’s assumed that it allows the Liberals to save face. By not voting, they’re essentially trying to say they disagree with the crime bill proposed by the minority government. Of course, if they really disagreed with it, they could have voted against it! That is, after all, their job.
I know this is not the first time this has happened, and I know also that it will not be the last. But much like “crossing the floor” to change party allegiance, this is a “loophole” in our political process that drives me nuts. When a school schedules exam weeks, students can’t simply skip out and not suffer a penalty. When your boss says it’s time to sit down for your annual review, you don’t get to opt out because you’re not going to like what she has to say. So why do we allow this in the House?
The fact is that the only reason the Liberals didn’t want to vote against the bill is because their participation in the vote would have defeated it. And since it was being tabled as a matter of confidence, a vote against the bill would have been a vote that toppled the government and sent us to the polls. And we all know the Liberals want no part of an election. Their leader has not warmed to the party, much less the public, since his surprising win last winter. The party is not ready to face the electorate and the result of a vote now would most likely spell a Conservative majority. To which I say, too bad! The Liberals chose Stephane Dion as their leader. Now, the party must move forward with that decision, for better or worse. And if worse means the Conservatives are allowed to govern with the majority they so desperately seek, so be it. The Liberals have no one to blame but themselves. Making a mockery of the political process along the way is nothing but a disservice to Canadians.
February 28th, 2008 at 6:57 pm
[…] is still in the “OK’s.” That seems to be his answer for everything. I blogged a couple weeks back about my disappointment with the Liberals for walking out on a vote in the Commons on the […]