by The Honourable A. Brian Peckford
June 26, 2023
This is Canada’s big elephant in the room.
The Conservative opposition talk a good game (?) and oppose but then in action they capitulate .
Try and pretend they are against the Government bad policy and then surrender . Like during the Truckers Convoy , the Conservatives, no where to be seen in Ottawa when the truckers came to town.
Now it’s child care.
And the polls say opposing federal money to child care is not popular.
Of course!!
Did the Conservatives propose their own bill that incorporates their priorities ? An alternative —that’s what I thought an opposition was suppose to do .
The Conservatives allow the Liberals and Socialist to frame the question as if it was for or against child care. Meekly fall into the trap and play in that policy sand box.
But that’ s hard work. Opposing Taylor Swift’s world tour schedule is far easier. Voting to not have to appear in Parliament is a breeze.
Did the Conservatives consult with the Provinces or other child care organizations and propose amendments—-better still propose a whole new bill and get out of Ottawa and explain it.
Call for Parliamentary Committee meetings across Canada etc. , for example.
The Conservatives lamely say the Federal Government went ahead and signed deals with the Provinces as if the Bill had passed.
That’s an affront to Parliament and should be called out!!!
Who is calling that out?
So why have Parliament at all if this how it is all going to function!!
The National Post report records
‘C-35, officially named “an act respecting early learning and child care in Canada,” passed earlier this week with 315 votes in favour and not a single MP opposed.
Conservative MP Michelle Ferreri said that, despite her party’s broader concerns about the child-care program, the bill is just a fig leaf and it’s the individual deals the federal government signed with provinces that are at issue.
“This bill doesn’t do anything because the agreements with the provinces and territories are already signed,” she said.
The bill, as passed, establishes a national advisory council on child care and commits the government to ongoing support for the program beyond the five-year deals that have been signed with the provinces. If a future government wanted to end or refused to renew child care deals with provinces, the legislation would make it more difficult, but not impossible.’
This is a MP speaking for the Conservatives ? Sad!!!
You think down the road a new Government will take money away from the Provinces and devise then a different program . If you do I got a deal for you to visit the Titanic.
And this whole social area is under Provincial jurisdiction!!
Oh, yes it’s a broken system and everyone is feeding out of the Federal trough —parliament, constitution be damned.
Changing a Government to another mainstream Party is just —-‘the changing of the colours————‘
System change is needed and we have no leaders in Parliament willing to accept such a challenge(or leaders outside of Parliament ) to save our democracy , our Constitution and a valid Parliamentary democracy.
