Monday, August 29, 2005

What I did on summer vacation

The NDP wants Parliament to reconvene and take action on softwood lumber. The Libs are open to the idea. But one party's not done with the barbecue circuit just yet:
We have no plans for early return,” Mr. Harper's acting communications director William Stairs said Monday, dismissing an idea first floated by NDP Leader Jack Layton...

Mr. Stairs said if the New Democrats wanted to see progress on the issue of U.S. duties on construction-grade wood, they'd agree with the Conservatives and pressure Prime Minister Paul Martin to call U.S. President George W. Bush.

Mr. Stairs said the Tories have been urging Mr. Martin to talk to Mr. Bush for weeks to resolve things at the highest political level but he has refused to pick up the phone.

Just in case there's any doubt, I'll agree that Martin should have been on the phone to Bush long ago. But that's no excuse for the rest of Canada's MPs to shy away from representing their constituents as best possible. Not to mention that a session of Parliament would put Martin on the hook in question period every single day he refused to make the call.

Apparently the Cons still haven't figured out how best to apply pressure to the PM. Which may be why the party with a fifth as many seats had five times as much effect on the budget. No wonder the Cons want more time to get their act together before meeting their rivals face-to-face again.

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