Thursday, February 08, 2007

RESIGN

Smug as usual, Garth Turner is blaming everyone else for his lack of conviction. He won't resign until Stephen Harper calls a by-election. Nothing is ever Garth's fault, he wouldn't be where he is today if other people would just do what's right.

While I maintain that a party-swapping MP is not obligated to go to the people until the next general election, Garth Turner does not. He believes an MP should serve under his party's banner, and, should he choose a new party, that the MP must go to the people and be elected in his new party of choice.


To that end, Garth has issued a challenge to the Prime Minister (from Garth's blog):

Today in Question Period I asked the prime minister two questions:

(1) Will he immediately work towards calling by-elections in Halton, Vancouver-Kingsway (Emerson) and Mississauga-Streetsville (Khan), so we three members can be accountable to the people?

Stephen Harper did not answer. Instead he had House Leader Peter van Loan stand up and say I could resign if I want. So, I said,

(2) If the prime minister calls a by-election in Halton today, I will resign my seat today, so the people of the riding are without an MP only for a few weeks before the vote. Will he do that, yes or no? And if I quit, will he ensure Wajid Khan also resigns, for a by-election for that floor-crosser?

Turner is playing a game here, pretending that because he doesn't "trust" the Prime Minister to ensure Halton's constituents maintain federal representation, he is stuck in a limbo of Harper's making -- a situation he implies can be alleviated 'if only' Stephen Harper would call a by-election.

Two things -- first, the other members are under no obligation to resign their seats simply because the great and pious Garth Turner thinks it should be so. Like it or not, members of parliament must be allowed the freedom to follow their conscience on matters of party affiliation. Imposing party loyalty under threat of removal from parliament would be a severe blow to the freedom of members to be true to their principles. Regardless of the cynical and mercenary reasons that some MPs switch parties, MPs must have the freedom to govern their own political destinies, and because eventually all of them must face the electorate, their motives and movements will eventually be judged.

Second, and more importantly -- according to Elections Canada, a by-election can only be called when a parliamentary seat is VACANT. Until Garth chooses to resign, the Halton seat remains occupied. Only when a seat is vacant:
. . . the Speaker of the House of Commons informs the Chief Electoral Officer by means of a Speaker's warrant. If the Speaker is absent, or if it is the Speaker's seat that is vacant, two members of the House of Commons may address the warrant to the Chief Electoral Officer.
So Garth, if you're so desperate to go to the people, and you're so sure that you're right, take a risk like the maverick you pretend to be --- stop blaming Stephen Harper -- do what's right and get your ass out of that chair.

canadianna

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Garth appears to be a graduate of the Paul Martin School of hedging and dodging. He is definitely Liberal material.

RepoCreepo said...

Hes on Michael Corens show having his ass handed to him. THIS would be a show to have on tape. Too bad, unlike his other TV appearances, he didnt give us advance notice to watch. Bob Decarcht deserves a high five for calling Turd-ner out and putting him in his place.

Garth threatened to walk off the show...kind of like his CFRB appearance yesterday. Seems hell be heading back to the solice of his computer and hide away.

On a side note there were a number of brown envelopes being delivered to the Halton constit office... coincidence???

Canadianna said...

Sorry I didn't catch Coren tonight.
Wonder if it'll end up on YouTube.

RepoCreepo said...

I hope so. Either way Ill be contacting the show for a copy.

More things found on Garths blogs...

He calls former opponent (former provincial Conservative MPP...then Liberal MP now Halton Regional Chair) Gary Carr a hypocritical flip flopper for changing parties...

um.... Nuff said eh?

http://repocreepo.blogspot.com/2007/02/seems-garth-has-used-words-hypocritical.html

Anonymous said...

I believe your Elections Canada link was supposed to go to the page: The Calling of a Federal By-election

Canadianna said...

dragev -- yes. Thanks for that.