From page? CSIS, announced a review. That report, which is suppos- edly not yer complete, has _been referred to in the House of Commons by a junior member of cabinet. In fact, he stated the SIRG report : cleared the PMO. Then, a few days later, he - « backs off and says the report : isn’t complete and the » Solicizor General will tell us as much as he can whea the report is done. - And what's with the Canadian ‘Alliance in all of »- J this? This could be a lethal : political blow io the Chretien « government, Yet, on the day the’ matter is raised in the -— House, it is way down the list and gets dealt with by a junior. cabinet minister. Uf the Alliance doesn’t raise the tem- perature on the government in this matter, you can rest assured the government will skate on this much the same as they did on the HRDC seandai of last winter. The Sidewinder investiga- tion and its ordered collapse is the metaphoric “smoxing gun™ for the Alliance, The trail appears to lead right to the PMO. Yet, it was for them the fifth question on the list. Ac the top of this column, L asked what price you place on the sovereignty of our country and the integrity of our government. To do and . say nothing about all of this tells ane the price is very low ‘indeed. - iknigli@diveet.cn White’ $ all al at ‘Mr. Bell ren uestioned,” Sept. 10.: Too: bad Councillor Bill Bell’ must vent his. sanguinary:.- pleen’ on ‘the character and motives of. Mr.-Ted : White, here was no nced for M ney, into sa Vaging a muse > piece: How :much. better: * - Beil’s” cause : may: have =. ospered had. he™ suggested is; ‘municipal supporters , ad match’ a: federal “grant lar fr dollar. £9 Hected; or.’ sons: to, continue: to” support: porated Canadian arty: “ prospect: most .dauint ‘© all NDP supporters like.’ Bel running hard if you are run- ning on the wrong road! | Russell C, Shelton "West Vanvouver ‘Baskethall |. COACHES| | advertoria!. October 17, 2006 OTT, PARLIAMENT NEUTERED Back in November of 1997 | wrote a North Shore News Report entitled 1 dug that report out of the archives again right after read- ing an article in the "National Post this last September 25th entitled “Parliament has been neutered: Littral MPs”. The National Post article qucted a number of Libera! MPs who were complaining that too much power rests with the Prime Minister, his inner circle of advisors, a few key bureaucrats, and a nandful of influential cabinet ministers. They said, as | have done many times in the past, that the debates of Parliament are simply a ritual, played out to an empty commens theatre. Meanwhile, the Government's agenda is enforced in the committees which “study” the bills, by Government MPs who are told how to vote by the Government Whip. Amendments are almost never permitted except when fed to the committees by the Government. “House of Iliusions”. BACKBENCH COMMENTS Reg Alcock, a Liberal MP from Winnipeg, was quoted in the National Post article as saying “If MPs were given enhanced powers, particularly through a cast-iron committee system, it would reduce partisanship and promote serious examina- tion of legislation and oversight of the spending of taxpayers’ money”. | have absolutely no argument with Reg on this point, and | also agree with the observation of ’ Quebec Liberal MP, Clifford Lincein, who is a former Quebéc cabinet minister. He said “Being in the backbench, we are typecast as if we are all stupid. We are just sup- posed to be voting machines. It’s a real tragedy. A fot of talented peopte are just withering away...we are net valued for what we do because we have little powers to produce legislation”. Well, so much for the traditionalist claim that MPs study the legisiation before them and make well-founded, rationa! cecisions as to how to vote. in fact, as | have men- tioned in past reporis, plenty of MPs arriving at the House for a vote do not have the , ’ faintest idea about the subject of that vote. The Whips, after all, will distribute instruc- tion sheets to every desk before the votes begin. The only way MPs will cease to be these “voting machines” is if the system is ever changed to permit truly free votes, something which is Canadian Aliance policy, but which the present Prime Ministér is unlikely to ever permit. Mr Chretien has been in Parliament since 1963 but has shown “no inclination to reform House procedures. In fact, he has made the system even more repressive than it vas in the days of Trudeau. To my recollection, there has never been a free vote on a Government Bill since Mr Chretien became the Prime Minister. It is legitimate to ask, of course, whether any other Party, once holding the reing | _ of power, would permit free voting by its MPs. Thankfully, there are precedents from -past Canadian parliaments, and presenily in the U.K., which show that free votes can work within a parliamentary structure iike that found in Canada. In fact, Pierre Trudeau . josta number of votes when he was Prime Minister, without the Government falling, and. as short a time ago as September 27th my own Caucus confirmed a free voting strate-- . gy for a Bili presently before the House. . All it takes is the political will, and a commit- ment from the Leader to allow his or her MPs to truly reflect the will of their constituents.’ during | votes. | am convinced beyond a doubt that much better, and less flawed, legis: lation would. emanate from ‘the House’ of Commons. if free votes were the nomi: Governments would have to list en to, and accept meaningful input, from, your MPs. as: BROKEN - town Toronio Liberal MP says, it is the bureaucrats who draft legisiation, i in ‘consultation with special interest groups, corporations, and lobbyists, but they exciude MPs from the . 3. Process. . “Parliament doesn’t work" he seid “What's wrong with the ‘system right now Is that the unelected, unaccountable part of the machinery of government is: “abused, maligned, and mistreated.” * ; Post article by Liberai t MPs Roger Galloway, and George Proud. “HOUSE OF iLLUSIONS | “The fact is, our Prime Minister’ enjoys more power. than the jeader of virtuall Western democracy. Alli major decisions which affect our country, and most of the minor “@nés, come from the Prime Minister; 2 “or the. mainjenance of, POWER. few Cabinet Ministers, and a ‘small group of adv sors in the Prime Minister's office (PMO). This latter. group is made up of. unelected, ¢ “unaccountable and lar gely invisible individuals, v whose primary rc ro Is the acq isition of, “action from the Party Whip. This person’ Ss role i is to force back-benchers te do, the elite’: 'S L bidding using rewards | such as Parliamentary trips, speaking ‘opportunities in the ‘House, :. rnembership on the” House Standing Committees. of their choice,” re-election, support, “allowed to debate or'ask questions in the 9 romoved or even by being sipelled from his or “her Party:- an action which’ usually kills: chances for Fe-election.: Ex-Liberal MP. John Nunziata was an exception; but the dis: iplinary process generally renders the majority = Of MPs impotent because it is much less ‘stressful simply to conform.” After all, most MPs. ‘Folk and roois music at its best Music laver won't want to Miss upcoming Performances by acoustic instrumental group, Zabor and Dawson. and traditional folk musicians, Solus. Pertorung ort Friday, October 20, Zubot and Dawson offer an veleetic reots sound that Incorporates blues, swing, reggae and Mueg influences. Solas, whe will he on stage Monday. October 23, include some of the finest traditional folk musicians in America and Ireland. Shows start at S p.m. in the Capilano * College Performing Arts Theatze, Call 990-7810 fur tickets and information. >> Hear literary wonder, Dionne Brand, in person. Poet. novelist and essayist, Dionne Brand, will give selected readings and a. discussion of her work on |” Thursday, October 12 at: 7:30 pam. in the Cedar °° : “> building, roonr, 148. The. lecture is part ‘of the): Themas A. Dahm, Q: (oma lecture series. Dionne is). the author of Land to Lisle On, which won the © + Governor General's Aw: ad for Poeiry, and the acclaimed nov