In today’s Sun: the Speaker, in disgrace

— 12.18.2011 01:00 AM

A lot of people were astonished by that. How can the chief judge of the Commons say he has jurisdiction, say there’s no dispute about the facts, say it’s “reprehensible” — and then do nothing? MPs, who generally never criticize the Speaker out loud, did.

And then, a day later, a new shocking fact emerged: Scheer had used Campaign Research — the same outfit that was at the centre of the Cotler case — himself. In the May 2011 election, in his Saskatchewan riding, Scheer had paid Campaign Research thousands to work their magic for him. And he had told no one, as he sat in his green velvet throne and listened to Cotler make his case. He didn’t recuse himself, or even admit that he was in a clear conflict of interest. He said nothing.


Comments (23)

Question to CIJA

— 12.16.2011 10:50 AM

The “C” in their name, as I’ve written before, stands for Conservative. They, and their “CEO,” have become ardent fart-catchers for the Harper government.

Proof of same is found in this question, which is rhetorical:

Have any of you, at any point, condemned the despicable way in which Irwin Cotler – one of our greatest Parliamentarians, and a man regarded in Israel as a giant – has been treated by the Harper government?

Trust me, they haven’t.


Comments (20)

Sign of the times

— 12.15.2011 08:59 AM

What with Time magazine calling protestors the Person of the Year, and the various Arab Springs, and the Occupiers, and so on, this sign seems…right.  My sons and I pass it every day on the way to their school, and my eldest boy snapped it.  It’s true.  True, true, true.


Comments (5)

The Cotler file: update (and updated)

— 12.14.2011 12:26 PM

I’m still enraged by the puppet Speaker’s ruling. When a reader posted this, it made me even madder.

Anyone else knew this?

Carolyn says:
December 14, 2011 at 11:57 am
The firm that did the calling into Cotler’s riding also did $8,198.79 of work for the current Speaker, Andrew Scheer, in the last election. Scheer should have excused himself from making the Privilege decision yesterday because of a conflict of interest!

UPDATE: The CBC, at least, recognizes this is a legitimate (and significant) news story – and doesn’t relegate it to a little-noticed blog, like the Citizen does.  Read it here.


Comments (31)