Suspension of Parliament gives Saint John MP relief
Published Friday December 5th, 2008
Deck head
SAINT JOHN - The shutting down of Parliament until late January was as good as political Pepto-Bismol for Saint John Conservative MP Rodney Weston.
The rookie MP said it was difficult for him to watch the Liberal and New Democratic Party stand and applaud Bloc Québécois Leader Gilles Duceppe following an address in the House of Commons.
"I had a hard time, not as a Conservative, but as a Canadian watching those two parties stand and applaud this MP," Weston said. "It really turned my stomach."
That's why Weston was relieved at Governor-General Michaëlle Jean's decision to prorogue Parliament for a month in the face of mounting pressure from the Liberal-NDP coalition, with support from the Bloc - one he and his Conservative colleagues refer to as a separatist coalition - to form government.
"I think it's a good thing," Weston said of Jean's decision. "It gives everyone a kind of cooling-off period."
The opposition parties were set for a non-confidence vote on Monday, which would have meant a defeat of the Conservative government. Instead, the next time the House of Commons sits, the Conservative government will present its budget.
"For us to be able to come back and present a budget and, at that point, if the coalition still feels determined to vote the government down, at least they're voting on something tangible," the Saint John MP said.
"I believe at that point in time we'll have a plan laid out before the people and say, "Here's what you're voting against.' And I think it's important we follow that course."
As for how the suspension of Parliament will affect the work being done in Ottawa in the face of tough economic times, Weston said there wasn't a lot of work being done anyway.
"There hasn't been a lot of productive work done here in the last week. It's been mostly tied up with the back and forth on who should be governing Canada," he said.
Proroguing Parliament will only eliminate one week of work since the Commons was set to be adjourned Dec. 12 for the holiday season. In terms of the Jan. 26 budget document, Weston said he is not concerned about convincing other parties of its value, but rather the citizens of Canada that the Stephen Harper-led Conservatives are the ones to guide the country through difficult times.
"I think we can bring forward a package than can convince Canadians. And when you convince Canadians, this coalition should be convinced - unless they're totally blinded by their own desire to grab power," the Saint John MP said.
The Conservative Party has been blunt in its criticism of the coalition for being supported by the pro-separatists Bloc. While the Liberal-NDP plan was to form government and fill cabinet with members from the two parties, Weston noted it wouldn't work without the Bloc.
"Let's be frank: The Bloc Québécois sit in this (Parliament) to try and remove a province from Confederation," he said. "Their whole raison d'être is to separate the province of Quebec from the rest of the country and you can't explain to me how this would be good for the economy of Canada in these times."
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WHAT!!!! Here is Canada facing one of the worst economic crisis in recent memory - it is being likened to the Great Depression- and our duly elected Federal gov't is doing ..NOTHING???
No wonder the opposition MPs have no confidence in Harper.
Rodney Weston - we, the tax payers, of this constituency are paying you to 'Do Nothing'? I don't think so.
The whole lot of you should be fired if that's how you use tax payers dollars!
Face it, Mr Weston - your leader laid an egg. And furthermore, most of the country dislikes him intensely, and no amount of grandstanding about the unfairness of your situation changes that one bit.
If you guys were able to make a deal with Duceppe (remember the last Harper Minority?) he'd be your best friend now, I'll wager.
You guys should concentrate on building your own coalition, rather than trying to distort the parliamentary tradition and form an "executive branch" out of the PM's office.
Oh yeah, maybe you should do some useful work too - I hear that there may be a few problems with our country that need addressing. Once you're done with consolidating your power and pensions, of course.
go easy on the pepto-bismal!!