By this point, you would be forgiven for thinking that politicians would have learned not to invoke the name of the former German dictator to condemn their partisan rivals -- or, at least, to recognize the grave error in having done so immediately after the fact.
Alas, it appears you would be wrong, as demonstrated this week by veteran Conservative backbencher Larry Miller, who decided to devote his portion of the dwindling hours of debate on the fate of the long gun registry to comparing past statements made -- or, in the case of the latter, allegedly made -- by former Justice Minister Allan Rock and former Senator Sharon Carstairs to sentiments ostensibly expressed by Adolf Hitler on the usefulness of gun control in furthering his goals.
Although Miller initially offered an (admittedly somewhat cursory) apology for his remarks, in a subsequent interview, he claimed that he did so just to "take the buzz off," and reaffirmed his belief that the similarities between the registry and "what Adolf Hitler did to perpetuate his crimes" were, in fact, "very clear and obvious."
Now Liberal MP Irwin Cotler is calling on House of Commons Speaker Andrew Scheer to revisit the issue, and to compel Miller to withdraw his remarks "unequivocally", or face the consequences, which, in this case, could include not being recognized in the House until he does so.
Will the furore over the Fuhrer reference derail the government's purported plans to host post-vote festivities to celebrate the bill's final passage through the House?
Here's a fully linked and annotated recap of the story so far:
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As the Chamber prepares to shut down for the weekend, the time allocation hammer drops on the contentious C-11 -- the copyright bill, to its friends and foes -- which, by order of Government House Leader Peter Van Loan, will be dispatched to committee after one final day of second reading consideration. (Which, it being Friday, which means an early adjournment, works out to just two and a half hours of debate.)
To mark the occasion, OpenMedia.ca has declared a Day of Action to rouse public awareness of (and, presumably, noisy objection to) the terms of the legislation, which they apparently fear could result in an "internet lock-down" that will cut users off from content "for no good reason", and deprive them of access to services for which they have paid.
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Environment Minister Peter Kent hits the National Press Theatre to unveil the results of an environmental assessment of the Glacier Discovery Walk project, which would be constructed in Jasper National Park, and was the object of frantic lobbying from proponents and opponents alike, including an online petition drive by US-based Avaaz.Org that Parks Canada called "misleading".
Coincidentally -- or perhaps not, come to think of it -- just before Kent takes the stage, Green Party Leader Elizabeth May will take the stage to "outline her concerns regarding the incrased influence and control of foreign governments and corporations in Canada's tar sands [sic]" at a mid-morning press conference.
Meanwhile, members of Natural Resources will hear testimony on the same topic, but from a very different perspective, when it welcomes FairQuestions blogger Vivian Krause to its ongoing study of the current and future state of Canada's pipelines; her research on the funding of environmental groups has been enthusiastically and exhaustively cited by those pipeline supporters who decry alleged interference by "foreign" interests.
Oh, if only the twain -- or, in this case, trio -- should meet, what a fascinating discussion could ensue!
Hot off the Conservative Party presses comes the following somewhat ominous missive, in which the New Democratic Party is stridently denounced for its 'true agenda' of opposing ALL [sic] legislation -- officially, even, despite the fact that exercising its democratic franchise in such a fashion could ensnare the House of Commons in the very same legislative lattice that has torn asunder the economies of Europe unspecified "other countries" (Read: Europe):
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Get inside the story and inside the Hill with CBC's parliamentary bureau and blogger Kady O'Malley. Through up-to-the-minute liveblogs, dispatches, video, audio and features, Inside Politics gives you immediate and in-depth coverage of Canada's political system and culture.
Kady O'Malley has been covering the Hill for more than a decade (yes, really) for a variety of publications. An Ottawa girl (not quite born, but raised), she has a passion for politics that borders on the unhealthy, and has liveblogged her way through hundreds of committee meetings, press conferences, judicial inquiries, budget launches, cabinet shuffles, and even the odd constitutional crisis. Oh, and yes, her Boston Terrier really is named "BlackBerry."
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