I'm in 253-D in the Centre Block watching the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance debate the budget bill, C-10. Today's session is clause-by-clause review of the budget bill. There are 500-+ clauses to the bill and the lone NDP MP on the 12-person commitee — Deputy Leader Thomas Mulcair — got the day off to a rollicking start by insisting on a roll-call vote on each and all of those clauses. That was later modified but the Mulcair has, for the last 90 minutes, Mulcair has largely dominated the debate and has been ridiculing both Liberal and Conservative MPs.
The NDP has voted against the budget at every step, saying that, first of all, it is not an effective cure for Canada's economic ills and second of all, is being used to advance ideological goals of the Conservatives, namely rolling back pay equity rights, short-circuiting environmental assessments, and cutting back on union and social justice rights.
So Mulcair is doing everything he can to goad the Liberals into doing something — anything! — to vote for his party's amendments and against the Conservatives.
So, this morning, he has called all the Ontario MPs on this committee — that includes Liberals John McCallum and John McKay and Conservatives Bob Dechert, Mike Wallace and Darryl Kramp — “spineless, unprincipled MPs”
Some other scattered comments from Mulcair this morning:
- ” We think it's scandalous that the Liberals are supporting the Conservatives by taking away women's rights …”
- “The Liberal Party of Canada has completely caved.”
- He accused the Liberals — who, last December, were set to join the NDP in a coalition government that would have replaced the governing Conservatives — of backing the Conservatives once the Conservatives abandoned plans to cut federal funding of political parties, a move that would have disproportinately hurt the Liberals because that party's difficulty raising money. “Now that they've gotten what they want for their own purposes, they're abandoning women, they're abandoning the environment, and they're abandoning social and union rights.”
- He ridiculed the use by MPs of funding “shovel-ready” projects. “None of these guys has ever even held a shovel!”
- He accused the Tories of playing a “shell game” with the budget because much of the federal spending will only happen if other levels of government chip in. He said that, for that reason, the budget is “an intellectual fraud.”
- Argued that Infrastructure Minister John Baird is such a partisan that he will only direct infrastructure funding to those ridings that elected Conservative MPs.
And what do the Liberals and Conservatives say to all this? Nothing. MPs from those two parties want the budget passed as soon as possible. So they sit quietly and vote down Mulcair's amendments one after the other without responding to any of his attacks. “He'll only be encouraged to go longer if we respond,” one MP said to me privately.
I love it. The Liberals have gone back to being cowards as they were under Dion.
They are taking away women's rights. Shame on them!
If this continues there will be a backlash against the NDP in the next election which could see the end of Jack Layton. His hatred for Stephen Harper has caused him to lose perspective and what is in the best interest of the country. We can argue and argue about every clause of the budget attaching all kinds of motivations but the fact is the NDP is a bit player in the scheme of things and matter not but something needs to be done and soon. Once the NDP is elected as the national government they can implement their socialist agenda. However, Canadians are too smart to allow that to happen.
Priceless – liberals & tories being soulmates. Iggy doesn't give a crap about women, workers, and the vulnerable now that liberals have their tax funded stipend. You rock Mulcair!
You have to give it to them, though. The NDP really do excel at Committee fillibusters to make their point.
Why is it only ok to make politically wise decisions when Layton does it? (i.e. give up position on Afghanistan just to take power in colation). When the Libs do it, it is “cowardly” or “spineless”. I love the arrogance of the NDP.
What a bunch of propoganda, the NDP should be ashamed of their tactics. I'm not even sure anymore that they believe what they're saying or if they've all just become like Jack, say anything to get a soundbite on the news. Good on the Libs and Tories for ignoring Mulcair.
When the Libs or Tories do things like this they are called childish, the reality is that the NDP are consistently the least Parliamentary in their behaviour . It's most amusing to see the comments about Baird since ironically it's Layton, Mulcair and their buddies in the NDP that are the most blindly and offensively partisan bunch in the HOC. (remember the false accusation made against James Moore, all the votes against Throne Speech's and budgets before reading them, their BS claim to be wanting to get to work while attempting to force elections at every opportunity)
I hope the Libs and Tories continue to ignore the NDP and treat them as they deserve to be treated, as a fringe party with no sign of a consistent message who only gets the votes they get due to a somewhat credible past.
Um, because the purpose was to accomplish something in the public interest. What the Libs are doing is caving on their fight for the public interest in favour of protecting their own political interest.
If you doubt that's the case, then why would the Libs not agree to any budget amendments at all … including one even Don Martin thought made sense (removing the requirement for provincial and municipal matching funds on infrastructure spending).
I sense a new Liberal strategy forming …
It's the Liberals who are irrelevant now. They have given up all attempts at strategy and have let the Conservatives make all the big decisions.
Iggy and Co are turning into Dion.
Wow, looks like the NDP are out in full force today.
Anyway, it's as I've said. Jack Layton and the NDP painted themselves into a corner with their own actions. They can rant and rave and shriek as much as they like to get noticed, but it's clear that the Conservatives and the Liberals see what the NDP doesn't: NDP irrelevance in the House of Commons. They attack everyone with careless abandon and they wonder why no one is listening anymore.
Good on you Conservative and Liberal members! Continue to roll your eyes and doodle until Mr. Mulclair runs out of breath.
Yep, this is what happens when you take away an NDP MP's chance a spot and cabinet and their own driver. They throw a temper tantrum like a spoiled child. What would really be more productive for everyone is to have another election, right Thomas? I guess you guys are off of doing politics a different way. Shame on the NDP.
Hogwash, a fillibuster is a venerable Parliamentary tradition used to bring issues to the fore that are being ignored by others. If you can't take the heat then stop trying to ram your budget through the kitchen, or in the case of the Liberals, let the government sneak it through the kitchen.
That's right A reader, keep on alienating the Liberals and the Conservatives. Make the NDP absolutly intolerable and futher drive them into the HoC Hinterlands! Don't you get it yet? It's exactly that kind of response and activity that is driving the NDP into obscurity. They no longer look like Contientious Objectors, but more like frothing mongrel dogs doing whatever they can to catch a byline in the media.
Thanks for all the help!
Somebody needs to tell Layton and Mulclair that 82% of Canadians never voted for the NDP, and the vast majority, roughly 65%, voted either Conservative or Liberal.
See Dippers how easy it is to take Wacko Jacko's words and use them against him.
*Applauds Applauds Applauds*
I wish more people would do this! I'm part of the 82% that didn't vote for Jack Layton and his NDP. He doesn't speak for me, or (it seems) the remaining 82%.
I must say I'm rather enjoying seeing how long and loudly you folks plan to make the point about how irrelevant the NDP is. Doesn't this rather make the opposite point?
It might be if we weren't laughing so much. The difference is that the attention that they're getting isn't serious consideration, rather than humor.
I'm trying to think back to the last time the NDP received serious consideration by the Blogging Tories.
But it's good you're laughing Sean. I was afraid you folks were all a little bitter from the upheavals of the past few months.
Yea, Iggy doin the Dion – different liberal, same old, same old, oh wait, not quite. Iggy appears to like the Harper policies so you now got neocon & neocon lite ~ cute.
I can provide you with two times the NDP received serious consideration by the Blogging Torries.
1) Adscam – When they still had the best interests of the nation somewhat in mind
2) Judy's Insider Trading accusation against Ralph Gooddale prior to Income Trusts announcement – which didn't exactly work out for them, but it was serious.
Since that time, I can't put my finger on anything constructive that the NDP has done where the best interests of the nation were concerened. Instead, what the NDP have provided Canada with is over-the-top flights of fancy and rhetoric that go even beyond anything that's reasonable or been seen before.
The NDP are not in any way interested in making this budget work. Not at all. Thomas Mulcair's probable direction from the NDP powers-that-be are to push the Liberals into defeating the government because THAT is their ultimate goal. The NDP hate Stephen Harper SO MUCH that they don't care who else loses so long as they take him down. That is what is so clear to Canadians. That is why Canadians aren't taking the NDP seriously anymore. And that is why both the Conservatives and Liberals are backing away from the imminent self-destruction of Jack Layton and the NDP.
So yeah, keep it up. One less party in the House of Commons would serve Canadians far more by means of stability than what the NDP are dishing out these days.
So, if we boil down your comment down to its essence Sean, the only times the NDP have value for you are when they criticize the Liberals.
Except for when they're doing it now, of course.
When those criticisms are valid and worthy of consideration, certainly. And it's certainly not the case that the Conservatives will support the NDP any time they pick on someone else.
You wondered when the last time the Blogging Torries gave the NDP serious consideration. I told you.