Inside Politics

UPDATED - WhipWatch: Wow, someone sure sounds cranky ...

by Kady O'Malley Posted: February 25, 2010 1:08 PM Last Updated: February 25, 2010 4:03 PM
The inestimable Susan Delacourt describes the tone of Government Whip Gordon O'Connor's latest letter to his Liberal counterpart as "chippy," which sounds about right. "Spoiling for a fight" works too. He definitely doesn't appear to have appreciated that list of Liberal roundtables so helpfully provided by Rodger Cuzner in his initial response -- which, incidentally, I dissected in excruciating detail here -- which he dismisses as "talking to [themselves]," which is the kind of line you can imagine getting a spontaneous round of appreciative chuckles around the office. 

Sadly, he then goes on to score an own goal  with what I'm sure he thought was a delightfully arch observation -- that the meetings "curiously" failed to continue through the Olympics -- an assertion that is, alas for him, not only incorrect, but easily disproven. Check with the shadowy Conservative Resource Group next time, sir. They'll make sure you don't look silly. 

As for the substance, it's difficult to know what to make of his broad assurance that committees -- including, presumably, the Special Committee on the Canadian Mission in Afghanistan -- will be "reconstituted quickly." Does that mean within three sitting days, as requested by the Liberals? As for the bit about how ministers "will be encouraged, as they always are, to appear at committees in support of their respective estimates," well ... I don't know how to break this to the Government Whip if he's not already aware of it, but showing up for the estimates is not generally considered to be an act of ministerial munificence; it's more like the absolute minimum level of participation required by our parliamentary system. 

I've asked for a copy of the attachments mentioned in the letter -- the proposed motions on committees, as well as the changes to the calendar -- and as soon as I get my hands on them, I may have more to say, but in the meantime, feel free to play armchair procedural analyst in the comments. 

Here's the text of the letter -- and thanks to Susan Delacourt for posting it:


UPDATE: Motions delivered! Thanks, OLO! And thanks, PMO, for sending along -- unsolicited, even! -- the other attachment to the above email: an impressive and, he'd undoubtedly want me to have you know, "by no means exhaustive" list of ministerial events and activities:

Tags: blackberry jungle, WhipWatch