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

BC Conservatives Point to Warning Signs in BC’s Economy

While Canada posted modest job gains in July, warning lights are still flashing in British Columbia. Youth unemployment remains stubbornly high, leaving too many first-time jobseekers shut out of the workforce. BC also lost 3,400 public administration jobs in July, likely as temporary Census positions ended. “BC's jobs divide remains stark. Unemployment is far higher in business-driven communities like Kelowna (9.3%) and Abbotsford-Mission (8.3%) than in Victoria (5.0%). Government should be focused on creating the conditions for private-sector investment and job growth,” said Gavin Dew, MLA for Kelowna-Mission and Shadow Minister for Economic Development. “We need an economy where young people can find work, businesses can hire, and every region has the opportunity to prosper.” This comes as BC faces five straight quarters where more businesses are closing than opening, an NDP cabinet rift over job-creating projects like Tilbury LNG, and fresh signs that even the province's to...
Post a Comment
Read more

Okanagan Farmers Face NDP-Created Water Crisis ~~ BC Conservatives

Okanagan farmers are facing a water crisis as government-imposed restrictions threaten to kill their crops and destroy one of B.C.’s most important agricultural industries. In perhaps the most water-rich province in the country, our farmers have been left high and dry by the NDP government. For nine weeks, Okanagan and Shuswap farmers have proposed solutions, only to be met with NDP foot-dragging. Now forest fires have come to these regions as they are simultaneously reckoning with a water crisis that has been made worse through years of government inaction. Vernon-area farms have lost 70 percent of their water, while Kelowna and Summerland growers face severe restrictions. This situation is unacceptable and cannot continue. Ian Paton, Shadow Minister for Agriculture, said the NDP is once again forcing farmers to pay for its own failure to plan. "Farmers and ranchers must be listened to when decisions affecting their livelihoods are made, and under the NDP, they aren’t," said...
Post a Comment
Read more

FORSETH: Without a strong local presence, there is NO reason for anyone to tune in to local(?) radio

LOCAL HOMETOWN RADIO IS DYING … and without serious measures put in place, it will likely never see the light of day again. For well over four decades, the Canadian Radio and Television Commission (CRTC) has presided over its’ demise, and for that I say, “Shame”. Without out a word to say enough was enough, the CRTC has allowed corporate Canada to buy up one radio station after the other, and then allowed them to slash staff to the point where some so-called local radio stations do nothing more than air programming that originates from communities well outside the region in which they are located. Case in point?   On CHNL* 610 in Kamloops, the morning show hosted by Vinnie and Randi, DOES NOT originate from Kamloops -- it doesn’t even originate here in BC. It’s a program that Stingray airs across multiple radio stations in Western Canada. It doesn’t end there. Not only are Vinnie and Rando doing mornings on CHNL, but they also show up on sister station Country 103 … and of course o...
5 comments
Read more

Labels

Show more