It was quite the noon hour revelation, as embattled Senator Mike Duffy’s lawyer took the stage of the Charles Lynch Press Theatre, and lobbed grenades at the PMO on Duffy’s behalf – careful grenades that were all hearsay and accusation with no paper documents to back anything up. He alleged that Duffy didn’t want to have anything to do with the $90,000 repayment – not only because he didn’t think he owed anything as he had his residency cleared with the Senate leadership and Nigel Wright, but that when he was made to repay it, he pleaded that he wasn’t a wealthy man, and that Wright paid it to make the problem go away, and that if he didn’t cooperate, then they would use his residency issue to remove him from the Senate. Because you know, Duffy is the victim in all of this. It was also alleged that PMO instructed Duffy not to cooperate with auditors, and that they fed him media lines to deal with everything. Senator David Tkachuk, who then-chaired the Internal Economy Committee, denies ever threatening Duffy, especially with expulsion, which would seem to put the onus on Duffy and his lawyer to put up and reveal the documents.
As for Senator Brazeau, if the suspension without pay does go ahead, there doesn’t appear to be any clear decision on how to recover the rest of the money that he is due to repay the Senate, seeing as they can’t garnish wages he’s not earning and that they’re taking away his livelihood.
The government wants to expand its new visa for would-be start-up business entrepreneurs – except that it hasn’t issued a single visa under the six-month-old programme to date. These particular applicants need the support of an angel investor or venture capital group, which could be part of the weeding-out process that is keeping the number at zero.
The Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada released a survey that shows that scientists feel muzzled by the government. It should be noted that it was a fairly selective sample, and that these are public servants, and many of the complaints of “muzzling” stem from We The Media trying to find daylight between the advice of the public service and the government of the day, which isn’t necessarily appropriate given that we’re not living in a technocracy and they have a duty to their political masters.
There is talk of a rift opening up in the Conservative cabinet over the issue of Quebec secession rules, as the challenge against Bill 99 goes ahead in the courts (which was a provincial declaration that they could separate based on a 50 percent+1 vote after the Supreme Court’s secession reference and the subsequent Clarity Act). The problem? Harper’s Quebec lieutenant, Denis Lebel, said that 50 percent+1 is just fine. Yeah, there may be a shouty meeting taking place, and we’ll see if he can stay in cabinet for breaching cabinet solidarity.
The government will be releasing its draft legislation on the First Nations Education Act, and begin its consultation process. Many First Nations leaders are not happy with the prospect of this legislation, but the government wants it in place before September of next year.
The deadline has now passed for NDP leadership candidates to repay their debts, and there are still some outstanding, which has Pierre Poilievre and Paul Calandra demanding an investigation in order to determine that the former candidates aren’t trying to skirt the (awful, dog’s breakfast) rules when it comes to repaying loans, as has been accused in a couple of the 2006 Liberal leadership candidates.
The Conservatives have said that they’re going to support the private member’s motion put forward by MP Brad Trost to have committee chairs elected by preferential ballot – and yet it was their MPs who denied giving consent to speed the motion through to committee for study.
And Aaron Wherry notes the way in which the government put the boots to heroin-assisted therapy in the Throne Speech by calling it “the feeding of addiction under the guise of treatment,” and how that position doesn’t have science on its side. Meanwhile, the government has taken to things like calling Libby Davies “pro-heroin” and saying that the Liberals “support the drug trade” for looking to legalise marijuana (which, um, is pretty much trying to take the power and money out of the drug trade, no?) Class acts.
Up today: It’s the NDP’s opposition day, which they’ve pretty much squandered by using it to call on a ban partisan activity in the Senate. Because you know, there’s nothing like using limited opposition days to howl into the void because the House has zero say in what the Senate does, being as the Senate is a wholly independent body of Parliament. One might get the impression that the NDP doesn’t understand Parliament at all.