Tag Archives: conservative party

Harper, Rae wrong on Khadr

canadian sovereignty, conservative party, liberal party, , , , , ,

According to this Toronto immigration lawyer, both Stephen Harper and Bob Rae are making a very “simple” mistake when it comes to the question of if Omar Khadr can return to Canada.

I have never dealt in this space with the right of Canadian citizens to enter Canada. The simple reason for this is that the law on this point is crystal clear and rarely in dispute.

This right is considered a “fundamental” one and so it is entrenched in our Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms which was signed by Queen Elizabeth in 1982.

Our Charter describes this right as follows:

“Every citizen of Canada has the right to enter, remain in and leave Canada.”

…Pretty simple, huh?

Not when it comes to Omar Khadr.

This fundamental right seems to have somehow been ignored during most of the debate, and some of the rhetoric, that surrounds this Canadian citizen’s controversial set of circumstances.

…Prime Minister Stephen Harper has publicly stated that he will not allow Khadr back here unless the charges against him are dropped for good. Of course, Harper has not explained what legal authority he has to prevent Khadr, a Canadian citizen, from exercising his right to return to Canada.

Even the Canadian opposition has it wrong. Liberal foreign affairs critic Bob Rae suggested that Harper appoint a panel of experts to advise the Canadian government on how to deal with Khadr. Any expert, in my view, would agree that Khadr has a constitutional right to return to Canadian soil. What happens to him after that is a matter of domestic criminal law which is unrelated to his right to enter Canada.

The thousand or so senior judges who together form the Canadian Superior Court Judges Association describe our justice system as follows: “We are said to be ruled by law, not by those who enforce the law or wield government power.”

President Obama’s actions have signaled a swift and firm return to the rule of law.

I hope that we will follow not only the American lead but also our own legal tradition.

Pretty serious stuff. Bob, on what grounds do you and the prime minister presume to be able to ignore the Charter?

Peter MacKay Thinks You’re Un-Canadian

conservative party, democracy and good government, foreign affairs,

That is, if you oppose even the current nature of our military involvement in Afghanistan. Further, in MacKay’s twisted logic if you think that Canadian troops should be protected from implication in war crimes, then you’re somehow not “supporting the troops.”

“What is immensely clear is that the bombast and the blast coming from the member for Bourassa does nothing to demonstrate that his party or that member support the troops.

These scurrilous allegations that somehow Canadian soldiers are complicit in war crimes is beyond contempt. It is reprehensible. It is un-Canadian for that member to make those kind of allegations in this place.” – Peter MacKay

I wonder what you have to do to be declared doubleplusuncanadian. These comments from a minister of the government are shameful and disgraceful, and show a disrespect for our soldiers, Parliament, democracy, you, and me. They would be beyond belief if Stephen Harper hadn’t already set the tone. And don’t even get me started on this nonsense from John Baird.

Oh, and by the way, “scurrilous” is defined as “abusive: expressing offensive reproach.” Uh-huh.

(h/t Sean In Saskatchewan)

Senate Reform Deux

conservative party, democracy and good government, ndp,

Not surprisingly, I got some push-back from Dippers on yesterday’s post. Today’s Globe and Mail is, therefore, recommended reading. Even proponents of change agree that Layton’s proposal is premature and too narrow.

Plebiscite on Senate reform ‘premature,’ PM warned

BRIAN LAGHI
OTTAWA BUREAU CHIEF

November 7, 2007

Stephen Harper is being warned to avoid a snap referendum on the future of the Senate amid concerns that holding a vote without educating Canadians about the options could produce a questionable result.

Mr. Harper, who sources say backs a proposal to ask Canadians whether they would support abolishing the Senate, was told yesterday by experts in the field not to move before voters can get all the information they need to make a proper decision.

And athough [sic] Senate reform stalwarts like former Reform Party leader Preston Manning supported the idea, they also warned any campaign needs to have a strong educational component…

…”I think it’s premature to put it on the table,” said Roger Gibbins, the president of the Calgary-based Canada West Foundation, a long-time proponent of Senate reform.

“It hasn’t been an issue in a national election campaign [for the government] to move in such a fundamental way without any kind of electoral discussion or any kind of serious public debate,” Mr. Gibbins said.

Sources say the Prime Minister will support a move by NDP Leader Jack Layton to ask that a referendum be held on the upper chamber if the Conservatives cannot find a way to reform it.

Mr. Harper was a founder of the Reform Party, whose supporters rallied to the party in large part because of its vigorous pursuit of the Triple E Senate (an elected Senate with effective powers and equal provincial representation).

Sources have said the Prime Minister remains strongly committed to reforming the upper chamber. They noted, however, that the provinces and the Liberal-dominated Senate are thwarting him.

Mr. Manning said yesterday that he supports the idea of a referendum, but that the question cannot be solely about abolition. Rather, Canadians should be asked to choose between abolition and reform. He also said that a referendum can be fair only if the government were to finance both sides of the issue so Canadians could be well-informed about the options before they go to the polls.

Job Posting: Conservative Candidate

conservative party, toronto

Since the Conservatives have fired their Toronto Centre candidate, they’ll need a new one. That’s likely to be a challenge, given how the last guy was treated. And clearly, since their last candidate wasn’t a good fit, they’ll want to make it clear that they’re going in a different direction this time around. I’m a generous soul, so I’ve decided to try and help them out by creating this job posting. (It’s draft, of course. They’ll have to edit it as they see fit.)

Wanted: Conservative Candidate for Toronto Centre

We’re looking for a mindless drone to join our team of followers. The successful candidate will be adept in taking orders and should have limited ideals and opinions. This individual will not win the next election, and should at no point attempt to overcome this reality. Impressive economic and business credentials are counterproductive, and are not aligned with our organization’s objectives. Since Toronto Centre is arguably the most diverse riding in the country, it’s important that this individual does not see colour, and instead recognizes that Canada has only one culture, and that there’s only one kind of real Canadian. Adeptness in doublethink will be necessary, in part because the individual will be a Torontonian who doesn’t like Toronto. Low personal integrity is an asset, and independent thinkers need not apply.

Experience/Skills:

About The Conservative Party

The Conservative Party was formed in 2003 when the Reform/Alliance party successfully completed a hostile takeover of the Progressive Conservative party, thanks primarily to the hard work of double-agent Peter MacKay, who expertly secured the leadership of the PC party by promising not to merge the party with the Reform/Alliance. Our strengths come from the most positive traits of our predecessors: the neo-conservative values of the Reform/Alliance form the base of our policy, while the annoying and inconvenient grassroots orientation of those parties was discarded. Instead, the PC party’s more top-down authoritarian culture was adopted and significantly enhanced.