{"id":5359,"date":"2017-01-13T05:33:15","date_gmt":"2017-01-13T10:33:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.routineproceedings.com\/?p=5359"},"modified":"2017-01-12T23:38:05","modified_gmt":"2017-01-13T04:38:05","slug":"roundup-cullens-silver-tongued-swindle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.routineproceedings.com\/2017\/01\/13\/roundup-cullens-silver-tongued-swindle\/","title":{"rendered":"Roundup: Cullen&#8217;s silver-tongued swindle"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>It should not surprise me, but Nathan Cullen\u2019s capacity for deceptive stunts continues to both amaze and gall me at the same time. Previously it was conning Maryam Monsef into his \u201cproportional\u201d electoral reform committee composition (which was not proportional, but a racket that was designed to merely look more \u201cfair\u201d but was in fact a calculated gambit to give the opposition a disproportionate say in the process), for which we got a report that was a steaming pile of hot garbage. With Karina Gould now in the portfolio again, Cullen now proposes that they \u201cco-draft\u201d an electoral reform bill.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Dear Nathan Cullen:<br \/>Maybe you should learn how Responsible Government works.<br \/>Hint: \u201cCo-drafting\u201d bills obscures accountability. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/xQTiopDgXz\">pic.twitter.com\/xQTiopDgXz<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Dale Smith (@journo_dale) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/journo_dale\/status\/819579823085547520?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">January 12, 2017<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>No, seriously.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">This isn\u2019t rocket science. And for the *democratic reform critic* to be looking to undermine his own role is gob-smacking. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/hmIKrpLhqY\">pic.twitter.com\/hmIKrpLhqY<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Dale Smith (@journo_dale) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/journo_dale\/status\/819580803852226564?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">January 12, 2017<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>I cannot stress how bad of an idea this is for both of their sakes. For Gould, this is Cullen trying to swindle her like he did Monsef. He played her \u2013 and the public \u2013 in trying to push proportional representation and ended up recommending (along with Elizabeth May\u2019s whole-hearted endorsement) one of the absolute <a href=\"http:\/\/looniepolitics.com\/no-the-electoral-reform-report-wasnt-useful\/\" target=\"_blank\">worst possible electoral systems<\/a> possible. And now he\u2019s trying to ensure that she puts it into legislation for his party\u2019s benefit. This has nothing to do with bills being drafted secretly \u201cbackrooms\u201d (otherwise known as the Department of Justice under the cone of Cabinet confidence) or with the spirit of bipartisanship. This is about Cullen trying to manipulate the process.<\/p>\n<p>If that weren\u2019t bad enough, what is especially galling is that he\u2019s undermining his own role as an opposition critic in the process. He is not a minister of the Crown. His role, therefore, is not to govern, but to hold those to account who do (\u2013William Ewart Gladstone). This is an important job because parliament depends upon accountability. That\u2019s the whole purpose behind having a parliament \u2013 to hold government to account. And it would be great if our opposition critics would actually take that job seriously rather than pretend they were ministers with their faux-bipartisanship and private members\u2019 bills that cross the line when it comes to acceptable bounds of setting policy. It would be great if MPs actually did their jobs. Perhaps most troublesome in all of this is that Cullen is his party\u2019s democratic reform critic. If he can\u2019t grasp this most basic fundamental point of Responsible Government, then can we actually trust him on attempting to find a different voting system? I\u2019m pretty sure the answer to that is no.<\/p>\n<p><!--more-->Good reads:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Trudeau started his <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nationalnewswatch.com\/2017\/01\/12\/justin-trudeau-to-begin-cross-country-tour-to-reconnect-with-canadians-2\/\" target=\"_blank\">big Canadian tour<\/a> with smaller towns in Ontario yesterday, where he answered <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/news\/politics\/trudeau-tour-grassroots-canadians-1.3932162\" target=\"_blank\">tough questions<\/a> in town halls (that weren\u2019t vetted).<\/li>\n<li>One thing Trudeau <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/news\/politics\/prison-transgender-inmates-policy-1.3932466\" target=\"_blank\">promised<\/a> during a town hall was to ensure that trans inmates are housed according to their gender identity.<\/li>\n<li>Apparently, it may be <a href=\"http:\/\/news.nationalpost.com\/news\/canada\/canadian-politics\/tories-press-parliamentary-watchdog-to-probe-trudeaus-vacations-for-potential-breaches-of-federal-laws\" target=\"_blank\">an issue<\/a> that Trudeau used the Aga Khan\u2019s private helicopter to get from Nassau to his island. Mary Dawson will consider it. Maybe.<\/li>\n<li>Both Trudeau and Karina Gould seem to be <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nationalnewswatch.com\/2017\/01\/12\/new-minister-refuses-to-repeat-trudeaus-promise-to-replace-voting-system\/\" target=\"_blank\">climbing down<\/a> from the promise that any electoral reform will happen before the next election.<\/li>\n<li>Liberal MPs and ministers tweeted ads for non-partisan board positions\u2026with <a href=\"http:\/\/www.theglobeandmail.com\/news\/politics\/liberal-mps-tweet-non-partisan-government-job-ads-with-party-logo\/article33595838\/\" target=\"_blank\">Liberal branding<\/a>. Yeah, no. This shouldn\u2019t be difficult, guys.<\/li>\n<li>One of the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/news\/business\/canada-trump-dairy-industry-1.3932722\" target=\"_blank\">trade irritants<\/a> the Trump administration may target is our system of Supply Management.<\/li>\n<li>A trade tribunal <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/news\/politics\/trade-tribunal-supercomputer-federal-procurement-1.3931339\" target=\"_blank\">dismissed<\/a> Shared Services Canada\u2019s attempt to drop their investigation into a supercomputer purchase on \u201cnational security\u201d grounds.<\/li>\n<li>Supreme Court of Canada Justice Rosalie Abella was named <a href=\"https:\/\/beta.theglobeandmail.com\/news\/national\/canadian-judge-rosalie-abella-named-global-jurist-of-the-year\/article33610039\/\" target=\"_blank\">Global Jurist of the Year<\/a> by a Chicago law school.<\/li>\n<li>Kevin O\u2019Leary\u2019s \u201cexploration committee\u201d reports that he has a <a href=\"http:\/\/ottawacitizen.com\/news\/politics\/kevin-olearys-exploratory-committee-thinks-kevin-oleary-should-run-for-tory-leadership\" target=\"_blank\">pathway to victory<\/a>, so he\u2019s going to\u2026mull it over for a few more days.<\/li>\n<li>Andrew Scheer got the <a href=\"http:\/\/news.nationalpost.com\/news\/canada\/canadian-politics\/four-quebec-mps-endorse-scheer\" target=\"_blank\">endorsement<\/a> of four more Quebec MPs, while Erin O\u2019Toole got the endorsement of the Also-Ran who <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/journo_dale\/status\/819546843751256065\" target=\"_blank\">already dropped out<\/a> of the race.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.macleans.ca\/politics\/ottawa\/was-maryam-monsef-demoted-in-trudeaus-cabinet-shuffle\/\" target=\"_blank\">John Geddes<\/a> and <a href=\"http:\/\/news.nationalpost.com\/news\/canada\/canadian-politics\/ashley-csanady-did-justin-trudeau-just-send-maryam-monsef-back-to-the-kitchen\" target=\"_blank\">Ashley Csanady<\/a> each take a crack at whether or not Maryam Monsef was demoted.<\/li>\n<li>Michael Den Tandt looks at the electoral math that <a href=\"http:\/\/news.nationalpost.com\/full-comment\/michael-den-tandt-trump-style-nativism-is-an-electoral-dead-end-for-canadas-conservatives\" target=\"_blank\">Trump-style nativist<\/a> Conservative leadership hopefuls seem to be ignoring.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Odds and ends:<\/p>\n<p>The <em>Maclean\u2019s<\/em> archives look back at the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.macleans.ca\/archives\/in-defence-of-the-parliamentary-press-gallery\/\" target=\"_blank\">state of the Press Gallery<\/a> in 1965.<\/p>\n<p>The City of Ottawa wants to ensure that there is a <a href=\"http:\/\/ottawacitizen.com\/news\/local-news\/federal-government-urged-to-pay-for-centre-block-display-during-decade-long-renovations\" target=\"_blank\">\u201ctrompe l\u2019oeil\u201d wrap<\/a> put around the Centre Block during renovations rather than scaffolding and grey tarps.<\/p>\n<p>https:\/\/twitter.com\/kevinmilligan\/status\/819216690848247808<\/p>\n<p>https:\/\/twitter.com\/kevinmilligan\/status\/819216951444574208<\/p>\n<p>https:\/\/twitter.com\/kevinmilligan\/status\/819217193908846593<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It should not surprise me, but Nathan Cullen\u2019s capacity for deceptive stunts continues to both amaze and gall me at the same time. Previously it was conning Maryam Monsef into his \u201cproportional\u201d electoral reform committee composition (which was not proportional, &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.routineproceedings.com\/2017\/01\/13\/roundup-cullens-silver-tongued-swindle\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[41],"tags":[498,305,78,455,277,91,423,11,100,469,470,173,138,59,132,92],"class_list":["post-5359","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-roundup","tag-andrew-scheer","tag-appointments","tag-civic-literacy","tag-conservative-leadership","tag-corrections","tag-democratic-reform","tag-erin-otoole","tag-ethics","tag-justin-trudeau","tag-kevin-oleary","tag-maryam-monsef","tag-shared-services-canada","tag-supply-management","tag-supreme-court","tag-trade","tag-trans"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2jJFQ-1or","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.routineproceedings.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5359"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.routineproceedings.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.routineproceedings.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.routineproceedings.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.routineproceedings.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5359"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.routineproceedings.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5359\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5360,"href":"https:\/\/www.routineproceedings.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5359\/revisions\/5360"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.routineproceedings.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5359"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.routineproceedings.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5359"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.routineproceedings.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5359"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}