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Accountability eludes Senate

They haven’t a clue of fate that awaits

Prime Minister Stephen Harper is quietly doing an end-run around the nation’s unelected senators, but they are such a bunch of self-serving, arrogant individuals, they haven’t a clue the vise is closing in on them.

They remind one of the Supreme Soviet, unelected and unaccountable to no one except their own little cliques.

Totalitarian in every respect, the Liberal ma-jority in the Senate is determined to sabo- tage Harper’s Conservative government at every touch and turn.

Yet it’s indicative the main thrust of their sabotage is directed at the Conservative’s federal Accountability Act, basically the get-tough legislative package to enforce new ethical standards in government.

Now, why would Liberal senators be against higher ethical standards? The answer stares you in the face: Obviously, Liberals fear ethical standards.

Now, can you imagine any candidate running for election in the House of Commons who campaigned against higher ethical standards for MPs?

No, you can’t.

That candidate would be dead meat.

But, Liberal senators can openly try to sabotage an ethics package simply be-cause they know they will never be held accountable for their odious actions.

They believe they will never have to face the voters’ wrath. They may well be very, very mistaken.

Harper has hinted if these unelected individuals continue to thwart the will of the people—MPs elected by men and women across Canada—he will fight an election on the issue.

If he does, he’ll win big.

The federal Conservative party has a top-notch publicity and public relations operation, and is flush with money.

Anyone who belongs to the party knows it’s an ongoing operation, almost awesome in its professionalism.

A grand slam is coming from the Conservatives once an election is called.

Meanwhile, the Liberal leadership race is a yawn.

I’m not condemning all senators. Colin Kenny, chairman of the Senate committee on national security and defence, is top-notch, and so is my old friend Michael Meighen, grandson of prime minister Arthur Meighen, but I wouldn’t give a dime to any other Liberal senator aside from Kenny, or for any of the unelected Alberta senators, who shun the will of the Alberta voters who have repeatedly selec-ted other representatives under the Alberta Senate Election Act.

As Liberal senators try to torpedo Harper’s ethics package, it’s of more than passing interest that the legislation contains a ban on corporate political donations and union and association donations, and limits all personal donations to $1,000 per person.

The Grits choke on this campaign reform platform because they rely on big business for the bulk of their financing. And let’s never forget the sponsorship scandal and the revelations uncovered by Mr. Justice John Gomery that suitcases of dollar bills were delivered under the table to Liberal candidates prior to the 2004 federal election.

For Liberals, money talks, for the rest of us, it smells. So watertight rules on political donations are not what the Liberals want. That they’ll eventually get them, should make all of us smile.

Basically, everything has gone right for the prime minister and his team as they have smoothly plowed ahead to deliver on their campaign promises despite roadblocks thrown up by the Liberals, New Democrats and the Bloc Quebecois.

When an election is called and the assessments are made, the choice will become so clear Harper will sail to a majority.

Especially, if he rides the back of the Senate—creating a storm of protest across the nation unseen since the Meech Lake and Charlottetown fiascos.

 

Paul Jackson
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