Inside Politics http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/inside-politics-blog/ en Copyright 2012 Fri, 10 Feb 2012 16:33:41 -0500 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://www.rssboard.org/rss-specification And so the Great Gun Registry Debate ends, not with a bang but a ... Hitler reference?
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: 
]]> http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/inside-politics-blog/2012/02/and-so-the-great-gun-registry-debate-ends-not-with-a-bang-but-a-hitler-reference.html http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/inside-politics-blog/2012/02/and-so-the-great-gun-registry-debate-ends-not-with-a-bang-but-a-hitler-reference.html blackberry jungle godwin's law gun registry hitler larry miller new new new new era of civility parliamentary decorum Fri, 10 Feb 2012 16:33:41 -0500 Orders of the Day: Pack your bags, copyright bill! You're going to committee!
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. 

Hit the jump for the full post. 
]]> http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/inside-politics-blog/2012/02/orders-of-the-day-pack-your-bags-copyright-bill-youre-going-to-committee.html http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/inside-politics-blog/2012/02/orders-of-the-day-pack-your-bags-copyright-bill-youre-going-to-committee.html blackberry jungle orders of the day Fri, 10 Feb 2012 08:46:28 -0500 Follow politics live on our Hill ticker
You can also keep track of other active liveblogs and tickers via the handy-dandy menu, which gives you instant access to all active and completed events from a single window.

Mobile-friendly auto-updating text feed available here or hit the jump for the full CoveritLive experience.]]> http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/inside-politics-blog/2012/02/cbcca-inside-politics-liveblogstickers.html http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/inside-politics-blog/2012/02/cbcca-inside-politics-liveblogstickers.html coverpage parliament hill ticker Fri, 10 Feb 2012 07:00:00 -0500 OotD Recap: So, about those foreign influences lapping at our pipeline-ready shores ... In which three pipeline-related plot threads turn into spaghetti. Storify'd for your viewing pleasure - hit the jump to read the full post. http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/inside-politics-blog/2012/02/ootd-recap-so-about-those-foreign-influences-lapping-at-our-pipeline-ready-shores.html http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/inside-politics-blog/2012/02/ootd-recap-so-about-those-foreign-influences-lapping-at-our-pipeline-ready-shores.html blackberry jungle OotD recap the next great pipeline debate who will protect us from the rockefellers? Thu, 09 Feb 2012 17:30:23 -0500 Garry Breitkreuz and the Ghost of Old Age Security Debates Past
 Hit the jump for the post.
]]> http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/inside-politics-blog/2012/02/garry-breitkreuz-and-the-ghost-of-old-age-security-related-debates-past.html http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/inside-politics-blog/2012/02/garry-breitkreuz-and-the-ghost-of-old-age-security-related-debates-past.html blackberry jungle garry breitkreuz old age security past imperfect Thu, 09 Feb 2012 15:51:59 -0500 Orders of the Day - Shadowy Foreign Influences -- From All Sides -- Lapping At Our Shores! 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! 

Hit the jump for the full post. 
]]> http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/inside-politics-blog/2012/02/orders-of-the-day---shadowy-foreign-influences----from-all-sides----lapping-at-our-shores.html http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/inside-politics-blog/2012/02/orders-of-the-day---shadowy-foreign-influences----from-all-sides----lapping-at-our-shores.html blackberry jungle orders of the day Thu, 09 Feb 2012 08:39:43 -0500 Conservative InfoAlerte Watch: "All members have the right to speak"? Not on Peter Van Loan's watch! 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): 
Hit the jump for the full post. 
]]> http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/inside-politics-blog/2012/02/conservative-infoalerte-watch-all-members-have-the-right-to-speak-not-on-peter-van-loans-watch.html http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/inside-politics-blog/2012/02/conservative-infoalerte-watch-all-members-have-the-right-to-speak-not-on-peter-van-loans-watch.html blackberry jungle conservative party of canada copyright infoalertebot parliamentary mathematics peter van loan time allocation yvon godin Wed, 08 Feb 2012 16:43:31 -0500 Havel Tribute Snub Update: Elizabeth May Makes Her Point With Procedural Panache
 Hit the jump for the full post.
]]> http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/inside-politics-blog/2012/02/havel-tribute-snub-update-elizabeth-may-makes-her-point-with-procedural-panache.html http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/inside-politics-blog/2012/02/havel-tribute-snub-update-elizabeth-may-makes-her-point-with-procedural-panache.html blackberry jungle elizabeth may let that be a lesson to ... someone at any rate no MP is an island Wed, 08 Feb 2012 11:50:43 -0500 Orders of the Day - The Copyright Closure Debate Cometh
That debate -- on time allocation, that is -- will get underway later this afternoon, and will likely spark a fiery, if ultimately futile response from the opposition parties.  If passed -- which, of course, it will be -- the motion would see the bill dispatched to committee after just two more days of debate, which would include the remainder of today's half-day session.

Hit the jump for the full post. 
]]> http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/inside-politics-blog/2012/02/orders-of-the-day---the-copyright-closure-debate-cometh.html http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/inside-politics-blog/2012/02/orders-of-the-day---the-copyright-closure-debate-cometh.html blackberry jungle orders of the day Wed, 08 Feb 2012 08:33:50 -0500 Woodworth Watch: The "human being" motion, and what's likely to become of it. yesterday's coverage of Conservative MP Stephen Woodworth and The Conversation that he wants to start on the definition of 'human being', I thought it might be helpful to post his motion to strike a special committee to investigate the matter. 

Hit the jump for the full post. 
]]> http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/inside-politics-blog/2012/02/woodworth-watch-the-human-being-motion-and-whats-likely-to-become-of-it.html http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/inside-politics-blog/2012/02/woodworth-watch-the-human-being-motion-and-whats-likely-to-become-of-it.html blackberry jungle blackstone would be amused stephen woodworth the conversation Tue, 07 Feb 2012 13:24:54 -0500 Orders of the Day - Last stand looms for the pro-gun registry brigade
Dutiful readers will recall that the bill was actually reported back from committee in early December, accompanied by much griping from the opposition over the haste with which it was hurried through the process and equal measure of huffery and puffery from the Conservative side on the need to pass it as swiftly as possible, whereupon it was left to languish until the House rose for the holidays. 

That, however, was then, while this, is seems, is now, and according to Government House Leader Peter Van Loan, the Chamber can now afford to devote just one more day to debating the bill at report before proceeding, in an orderly fashion, to third reading -- which will be allotted a final two days -- and, eventually, a final vote, which could come as early as Thursday.  

Hit the jump for the full post. 
]]> http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/inside-politics-blog/2012/02/orders-of-the-day---last-stand-looms-for-the-pro-gun-registry-brigade.html http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/inside-politics-blog/2012/02/orders-of-the-day---last-stand-looms-for-the-pro-gun-registry-brigade.html blackberry jungle orders of the day Tue, 07 Feb 2012 07:27:53 -0500 Commons Watch: How not to pay tribute to former Czech president Vaclav Havel
Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism led off the tributes on behalf of the government, and was followed by similarly stirring words from NDP foreign affairs critic Helene Laverdiere and interim Liberal Leader Bob Rae. 

Hit the jump to find out how it all went horribly, depressingly yet, sadly, all too predictably wrong.
]]> http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/inside-politics-blog/2012/02/commons-watch-how-not-to-pay-tribute-to-former-czech-president-vaclav-havel.html http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/inside-politics-blog/2012/02/commons-watch-how-not-to-pay-tribute-to-former-czech-president-vaclav-havel.html blackberry jungle elizabeth may making parliament not work peter van loan vaclav havel Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:58:08 -0500 UPDATED - In which Stephen Woodworth attempts to kickstart 'conversation' on the definition of 'human being'... ... and Justice Minister Rob Nicholson responds with a heartfelt "Not interested, thanks". 

Missed it? Catch up on the conversation about The Conversation via the magic of Storify. 

UPDATE: Despite increasingly pointed questioning by reporters, Woodworth was downright coy in outlining his personal views on abortion, eventually allowing that, if one had to "label" him, 'pro-life' might come closest to describing his position, but insisting that he has no ulterior motivation in launching this "conversation". 

He was considerably more candid, however, in responding to a questionnaire from Campaign Life Coalition during the 2008 election. 

 Hit the jump for the full post.
]]> http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/inside-politics-blog/2012/02/storifyd-in-which-stephen-woodworth-attempts-to-kickstart-conversation-on-the-definition-of-human-be.html http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/inside-politics-blog/2012/02/storifyd-in-which-stephen-woodworth-attempts-to-kickstart-conversation-on-the-definition-of-human-be.html blackberry jungle not necessarily the abortion debate private members' business stephen woodworth The Conversation Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:06:23 -0500 By-election Watch: Let the battle for Toronto - Danforth be ... postponed?
Well, turns out someone had their dates mixed up, as per this revised release: 

Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced today that a by-election will be held on March 19, 2012 in the riding of Toronto-Danforth (Ontario).

As yet, there is no indication on whether the official Conservative Party talking points - in which the riding most recently held by the NDP's beloved, much mourned former leader Jack Layton, was declared a "traditional Liberal' stronghold -- will be reissued. 
]]> http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/inside-politics-blog/2012/02/by-election-watch-let-the-battle-for-toronto---danforth-be-postponed.html http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/inside-politics-blog/2012/02/by-election-watch-let-the-battle-for-toronto---danforth-be-postponed.html administrative disputes with the space-time continuum blackberry jungle byelection 2012 (I) sloppy sloppy PMO toronto-danforth Mon, 06 Feb 2012 13:17:49 -0500 UPDATED - Orders of the Day - The Great Gun Registry Debate returns to the House of Commons
That debate -- well, technically, both report and third reading debates -- will almost certainly be placed under time allocation, a move that will likely embolden the opposition parties to mount a fierce, if futile, last stand in an effort to stave off the seemingly inevitable: a final vote that could be held as early as Thursday.  

Hit the jump for the full post. 
]]> http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/inside-politics-blog/2012/02/orders-of-the-day---the-great-gun-registry-debate-returns-to-the-house-of-commons.html http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/inside-politics-blog/2012/02/orders-of-the-day---the-great-gun-registry-debate-returns-to-the-house-of-commons.html blackberry jungle orders of the day Mon, 06 Feb 2012 08:49:20 -0500