Skip to main content

“I am a Canadian, free to speak without fear, free to worship in my own way, free to stand for what I think right, free to oppose what I believe wrong, or free to choose those who shall govern my country. This heritage of freedom I pledge to uphold for myself and all mankind.” ~~ John G. Diefenbaker

FELDSTED: Members of the public feel they have been given 50 random pieces from a 500-piece jig saw puzzle, and are trying to fit the pieces together to connect the bits that form the whole picture


Trudeau’s damage-control plan is aimed at Liberal MPs
Susan Delacourt ~~ National Columnist / Toronto Star ~~ March 18, 2019

Conservatives and New Democrats were less than impressed when Justin Trudeau rolled out three big steps on Monday to address the damage of the SNC-Lavalin affair ... but the opposition wasn’t the intended target of the measures ... disaffected Liberals — and former minister Jody Wilson-Raybould in particular — are clearly the top-of-mind concern for the prime minister in this new repair effort he’s launched.

So the test of Trudeau’s fix-it measures isn’t whether they placate the critics, but whether they help bring Liberals back to the fold in the days ahead. That in fact may be a theme of the week — or even this entire election year. Take Monday’s damage-control measures one at a time.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL STORY:


Disappointing, but expected. This government will not tolerate criticism or admit that it may not always be acting in the best interests of all Canadians.

Elitism and cronyism, spiced liberally with tyranny, have disaffected some liberal stalwarts and supporters who, realize there are practical limits to how far a Prime Minister can govern by decree.

Members of the public feel they have been given 50 random pieces from a 500-piece jig saw puzzle, and are trying to fit the pieces together to connect the bits that form the whole picture.

Misdirection and secrecy have added to the intrigue.

Little by little details are emerging of shadowy people who are interconnected by marriage, business interests and governance. What is most hurtful in all of this is that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and his inner circle, are oblivious to the need to appeal to electors and the public. Apparently, we don’t count ... only fixing the liberal machine is important.


Andrew Scheer and the Conservative Party are climbing in the polls, not because they are offering to fix obvious flaws in our system of governance, but because the government is caught in a scandal and flailing about aimlessly. That is disheartening.

No one will admit that the Privy Council has to be removed from the Prime Ministers Office (PMO) and restored to reporting to the Governor General. Privy Council history dates back to 1540, and has always reported to and supported the Queen or her surrogate which is the Governor General in Canada.

The Privy Council is politically neutral, and its documents and meetings are completely confidential. For that reason, it is also a neutral meeting ground for the government and opposition in times of emergency. The government can brief opposition leaders without the fear of a leak of information.

Cabinet discussions and meetings have a lower level of confidentiality in most jurisdictions. Using the Normand case, the defense could request a judicial review of documents the government does not want to reveal, and a judge would decide which documents should be revealed in the public interest. Our governments do not allow for judicial review of documents they consider confidential.
 
Prime Minister Mackenzie King took over the Privy Council and made the Clerk of the Privy Council also the Secretary to the Cabinet in March 1940 while Canada was at war. He was partly motivated by the King-Byng affair (1926), where the Governor General at the time refused King’s request to dissolve parliament and call an election. His aim was to reduce the powers of the Governor General.

More on this later.

The shift of the Privy Council to the PMO gives the Prime Minister executive powers he or she should not have under our constitution.

That has to be rectified to ensure stable governance, and a limit to the power of a PMO, particularly under a majority government. A majority of seats in the commons does not entitle the Prime Minister to rule rather than represent.  

John Feldsted
Political Consultant & Strategist
Winnipeg, Manitoba
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

GORDON F. D. WILSON: When The Trick Masquerades as The Treat

Thirty-seven years ago, Halloween 1987, I became the leader of the BC Liberal Party.   British Columbia was badly polarized. Social Credit held one side and the NDP the other. It had been twelve years, 1975, since Liberal MLAs Garde Gardom, Pat McGeer, and Alan Williams had walked away from their party to join Social Credit, one year after the lone Progressive Conservative MLA Hugh Curtis had abandoned his party to sit with Bill Bennett, the son and heir apparent to long-serving BC Premier, WAC Bennett.   An unwritten agreement by the biggest Canadian political shareholders, the federal Liberals and Conservatives, decided that if British Columbia was to remain a lucrative franchise from a revenue perspective, they couldn’t risk splitting the electoral vote and electing the real enemy, the NDP, so no resources would be used to finance either a Liberal or Conservative party provincially.   “There are two sides to every street,” I was told by a very prominent Canadian businessman who cont
Post a Comment
Read more

FORSETH: As a BC Conservative member, and campaign worker, I will again state that the fact these errors were found -- AND brought to light BY Elections BC -- shows the system IS working

Sadly, two and a half weeks after the BC provincial election campaign, those who want to undermine our political process are still at.  PLUS, we also have one who doesn’t even live in our country, never mind our province. I speak of the buffoon running for President of the United States, who has poisoned the well when it comes to faith in the electoral process. Just today alone, comments such as the following, were being made of posts that I shared online: ... all the votes they keep finding has just favoured NDP on in all critical ridings and soon they will flip another riding in favour of NDP, Come on. ... Elections BC has ridiculed British Columbians, and I no longer have confidence or trust in their process and competence regarding the results Then there are others online, with comments like these – who are claiming fraud in the October 19th election: ... Who is the oversight for Elections BC? They should be investigated for election fraud! ... Fraudulent election ... should be red
Post a Comment
Read more

“With the talent and dedication of this caucus we will hold David Eby to account for his government’s out of control spending and ongoing failures in healthcare, public safety and addictions" — John Rustad

Today, John Rustad, Leader of the Conservative Party of British Columbia, proudly unveiled his shadow cabinet, a dynamic team of talented individuals ready to hold David Eby’s disastrous government accountable and present a strong alternative vision for British Columbia. “ Our shadow cabinet is a diverse and experienced group, committed to restoring prosperity, public safety, and affordability for every British Columbian ,” said Rustad. “ With experts in every field, we are focused on delivering real solutions for the challenges our province faces .” Rustad emphasized the historic appointment of Aaliya Warbus as House Leader. The shadow cabinet reflects the Conservative Party’s vision to build a brighter future for British Columbia. The appointments are as follows: Leadership Positions : Aaliya Warbus – House Leader Bruce Banman – Whip Sheldon Claire – Deputy Whip Portfolios : Tony Luck – Municipal Affairs and Local Government Sharon Hartwell – Rural Communities and Rural Development I
Post a Comment
Read more

Labels

Show more