Parliament in Review: December 9, 2011

Friday, December 9 saw the final day of debate at second reading on the Cons' seat allocation bill. And as usual, plenty of valid questions went entirely unanswered.

The Big Issue

Marc-Andre Morin rightly questioned the Cons' trumped-up sense of urgency in dealing with seat allocations while they do nothing but put off citizens' genuinely pressing concerns, while Denis Blanchette noted that any seat allocations would have to wait for updated census figures anyway. Linda Duncan worried (correctly) that the Cons would try to pair an increased number of MPs with cutbacks in resources for current elected representatives. Tarek Brahmi highlighted how the need to take into account factors beyond mere population is applied to Prince Edward Island's seat allocation, and wondered why similar principles couldn't apply to Quebec. And Peter Stoffer described the Cons' seat reallocation as lazy and hurried compared to the consultation that should be carried out as to what type of representation Canadians expect.

Pop Quiz

Guess which MP said this:

I want to point out one other unassailable fact. In Canada, we pride ourselves for being one of the most progressive democracies in the world.

You're probably wrong - and it's worth watching who's trying to take over the term "progressive" for his party's cause.

In Brief

Marjolaine Boutin-Sweet highlighted the problem of homelessness and called on the Cons to do more than keep their eyes averted. Raymond Cote pointed to the example of White Birch Paper as a case of investors getting rich off the work of employees, then refusing to hold up their end of the bargain. Robert Aubin pointed out that the Cons' promised committee to study workplace language rights seemed to have evaporated as quickly as it was made up as a distraction. Helene Laverdiere questioned the billions in tax freebies being handed to banks while so many Canadians are in need. In response to a particular ill-advised bit of spin, Ryan Cleary wondered just how routine it is for Peter MacKay to take a helicopter from one destination to another. Christine Moore offered up John McCain's take on the rising costs of F-35s, but predictably couldn't get a straight answer out of Chris Alexander. Justin Trudeau challenged the Cons with a $19 billion cost estimate for their dumb-on-crime bill. Francoise Boivin lambasted the Harper government for its disrespect for the rule of law. Jamie Nicholls questioned what rural services are on the chopping block as Jim Flaherty goes into selloff mode. David Christopherson raised doubts as to how elected senators could be "accountable" if by design they'll never face an election after taking office. Peter Stoffer proposed the creation of a ministry of state for education. And Kellie Leitch spoke to a private member's bill on breast cancer awareness, only to have Rathika Sitsabaiesan respond that awareness is only a small first step if the federal government isn't properly funding a system to deal with health issues once they're discovered.