Tackling the truth on the Tackling Violent Crime Act
For some reason, the Canadian media reporting that the Conservatives are re-introducing the Tackling Violent Crime Act but demanding that it be passed without amendments.
Shame on Stephen Harper! He has no respect for democracy! cry the Liberals and their supporters.
Except that it isn't true. The Conservatives are demanding no additional substantial amendments. The bill being introduced is the bill as it was amended at the end of the last session of parliament, as agreed upon by the government and the opposition parties.
That's a significant difference, but people don't seem to be getting it. At least CTV is reporting on it, and making a point to focus on the confusion.
A meme seems to have developed in which people ideologically opposed to the Conservatives believe that Prime Minister Stephen Harper's government is going to ignore the opposition. No amendments to any bills!
The reasons mean that the Liberal Party is now on the run, chased by a relentless Harper. Evidence? As soon as Harper heard Dion, he said that the Omnibus Bill on criminal law changes was now a matter of confidence. Not one amendment would be accepted.
Where does that leave the Liberals?
Between a rock and a hard place, hoisted on their own petard!
In facing this bill - and believe me there will be countless others - the Liberal Party must now choose only one of two courses of action, having pledged not to use the third (voting against the government on confidence matters and forcing an early election).
What nonsense!
Here is what is really happening with the Tackling Violent Crime Act, according to CTV:
"The bills that are included as part of this comprehensive package [the Tackling Violent Crime Act] are as amended by the House of Commons," said [Justice Minister Rob Nicholson].
CTV's chief political correspondent Craig Oliver said the fact that the amendments remain is significant.
"These bills were amended by agreement between the government and the opposition before the House prorogued and they died on the order paper, so the government is bringing them back," said Oliver.
"Reporters were under the impression that the government was scrapping the amendments to the justice legislation which would have been a slap in the face to the opposition parties and would have, in effect, invited them to defeat these bills."
Nicholson said the Conservatives would not bow to any substantial amendments from the opposition.
So the constituent bills that now make up the omnibus bill were each amended in agreement with the opposition parties, and the amendments are still in the new omnibus bill.
What the Conservatives are saying is enough is enough, this bill is as good as it's going to get, you've got many of the changes you wanted incorporated into it, so now vote on it or fight an election over it.
Now this is a lot different from the way the CBC is reporting on the introduction of the Tacking Violent Crime Act:
The Conservatives introduced their new tough-on-crime legislation in the House of Commons on Thursday, a move that is expected to put the Liberal party in a tight spot once again.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Wednesday he will not allow opposition parties to make any amendments to the bill, which he will declare a matter of confidence.
If the bill doesn't pass, Harper's minority government will fall and an election will be called.
There will likely be items in the bill difficult for the Liberals to accept, but Liberal Leader Stephane Dion has said he wants to avoid an election, which means his party may have to support the bill.
No mention that this already the amended bill. That's a major oversight, and until the CBC and others get this part right, Liberal bloggers like Curiousity Cat are going to continue to sound confused and ill-informed.
The tragedy here is for Stephane Dion. Desperate to avoid an election, the Liberals could support this bill. They've already amended it. They can complain it isn't perfect, but then they did the best they could as an opposition party to fix the original bill up. But it might be too late for that. The idea that this is the original Conservative bill with no Liberal input seems to have taken hold, which means that if Stephane Dion leads his Liberal caucus to support the bill, Dion will be denounced as weak.
At least in this particular situation, that wouldn't be fair to Stephane Dion.
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Comments
The Liberal party executive most likely explained to Dion that they were in no shape to launch an effective election campaign, particularly with him as leader, according to internal polls.
Dion is now holding on to his leadership by a thread, and has no other options than to tacitly support the governments legislation, all to avoid an election and his personal demise.
The omnibus crime bill is only the beginning of Harper driving a truck over and through the Liberal party, until they openly wince, yield and finally dump Dion.
Harper has had enough of Dion, and now he wants to see who the Liberals will be putting up as their new leader, and, then, Harper will call an election, thus putting the new Liberal leader through the same wringer that Martin put new leader Harper.
When the Liberals are down, it is necessary to keep your foot on their neck until the Beast is dead.
Posted by: Observer at October 18, 2007 12:49 PM
I think many political pundits are seeing the writing on the wall in terms of the popular support of Canadians of this crime bill. I think parts of the media with a anti-conservative bias will start to spin the idea that the Liberals are tough on crime as well.
That said, I can't stand the red herring that liberals throw out there when faced with the madatory sentences proposed by the Conservatives. They almost always stsrt talking about the "root causes of crime" Folks, with a repeat sexual offender, in most cases, the cats out of the bag. The left keeps talking about this alternative approach while not showing us the actual proven "cure" for these offenders.
Hoewever, I do not think that the Conservatives are going far enough in this bill. They are not directly addressing the property crime epidemic. We've got people with multiple convictions out there, commiting crimes while they should be in prison. I doubt these people are spending enough time in prison to even complete rehabilitation programs.
Posted by: stephen at October 18, 2007 12:58 PM
To Observer @ 12:49 pm.
Prime Minister Harper cannot "call an election" anymore.
When fixed election dates were passed, one of the powers
the PM gave up was the ability to go the the GG and ask for Parliament to be dissolved and an election
called.
Posted by: Arnold Ziffell at October 18, 2007 02:34 PM
Why would anyone ever expect the CBC, Red Star, etc. etc. to get anything right when reporting the Facts? I would have included CTV in that statement, however they seem to be starting to slowly change thier attitude and are starting to get thier facts correct before blathering on like the MSM in the Ottawa/Toronto cabal.
Posted by: Capndan at October 18, 2007 04:01 PM
There is no journalist integrity.
Just lefty MSM buffoons throwing mud at everything they can.
Half the time it sticks for a while.
Turn off your televisions
BT
Posted by: banjotom at October 18, 2007 04:24 PM
It doesn't matter whether the media reports this or not. It's a win-win for Harper no matter what.
If the Opposition doesn't support the bill, Harper will be able to speak as much as he wants on the campaign trail of how the Opposition got what they wanted in the bill and STILL wanted to soften it. And if the Opposition supports the bill with no amendments, it makes all of the Opposition parties look weak, considering how the media is painting it.
I think the media didn't think that part through when they did their typical best at spinning this against the Conservatives. Harper has just bested them once again...
Posted by: Surecure at October 18, 2007 04:39 PM
I have been watching Mike Duffy, Don Newman, etc... today. It is amazing how fast the left is becoming tough on crime! Looks like they were caught with their pants down on this issue and are now trying to catch up with public opinion.
Unfortunately, thanks to the shameless media in this country their farce (liberals and NDP are tough on crime) will probably work to a certain extent with the electorate. Canadians in general are so naive and are always looking for an excuse to vote Liberal.
If the Senate tries to block this omnibus bill. Harper could perhaps declare it a issue of non-confidence, call an election, and run an election on crime as well as Senate reform.
Unfortunately, however, I think they will let it pass relatively quickly. Liberals can then rebrand themselves and take credit for the bill. Any further tough-on-crime measures by the Conservatives will be met with derision as unneccessary and mean-spirited. The public unfortunately will by and large believe them.
Posted by: stephen at October 18, 2007 05:16 PM
"And to hold them to account, we will make Bill C-2 a confidence bill."
Centrepiece Legislation to Tackle Serious Crime
Backgrounder: Tackling Violent Crime Act
OTTAWA , October 18, 2007 – The Government of Canada today introduced legislation that will ensure key criminal justice reforms move swiftly through the legislative process and finally become law. The Tackling Violent Crime Act brings forth again the significant crime bills that were extensively debated by Parliament during its last session, but never became law due to the opposition's stall and delay tactics . [...]
"All the measures included in this legislation were studied in depth by Parliament in the last session, in fact some were held up for over one year," said Minister Nicholson. "If the opposition allows our Throne Speech to pass, they cannot obstruct our core priorities, including this bill. And to hold them to account, we will make Bill C-2 a confidence bill." ...-
http://news.gc.ca/web/view/en/index.jsp?articleid=355589&categoryid=1&category=News+Releases
[...]
"Canadians have told us they want to see action. They want us to move quickly and decisively to tackle crime and make our communities safer," said the Honourable Rob Nicholson, P.C., Q.C., Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada . "They are fed up with a justice system that puts the rights of criminals ahead of the rights of law-abiding citizens."
Posted by: maz2 at October 18, 2007 05:34 PM
I am puzzled.
Some members of the opposition are accusing PM Harper (AGAIN, surprise, surprise) of being authoritarian and dictatorial because he said he would not accept any amendments to Bill C-2 Tackling Violent Crime Act. After all, this is a democracy! they wail.
Yet the very same opposition parties are also saying there was no need to prorogue Parliament, that the five bills contained in the omnibus C-2 could have stayed on the order paper, that four out of the five pieces of legislation had already passed through the HoC because of diligent committee work, that they were MUCH improved because of opposition amendments, and that those bills were soon to be passed by the Senate.
A little contradictory, no?
Posted by: Gabby in QC at October 19, 2007 12:27 AM
Crime has been around a million years. Anyone that says they can actually do something about it, in any substantial way, is a blithering idiot. How about more AMERICAN-INSPIRED law enforcement and penalties? ...that should guarantee AMERICAN-STYLE murder and violence. More work for the Pigs and Ly'ers.
Posted by: Feldwebel Wolfenstool at October 19, 2007 06:07 AM
Another sterling victory for the Conservative Party of Canada! They took four crime bills that had already passed all stages of debate in the House of Commons, and moved them back to... the House of Commons.
Only Jay Hill and Peter Van Loan would dare to try to convince His Excellency Stephen Harper that they are moving forward, when in fact, they've moved all their crime legislation back by about 2 months.
Huzzahs! Canada's streets will be safer (despite the fact that the Liberals tried to do this exact same move back in the spring, combining all the Conservative bills into one, and passing that bill by unanimous consent, and the Conservatives refused!)
Playing politics and sensationalizing crime (did Rob Nicholson tell you that auto theft is up 1,200% since 1902, and internet theft has skyrocketed since 1943?), that's Canada's New Government.
Or have we stopped calling them that by now?
Posted by: Honest Iago at October 19, 2007 06:48 AM
Interesting the duplicitous Libranos cry foul at a criminal code bill with no amendments...when it was Liberals who rammed through the largest criminal law bill in history unamended... rejecting all the 170 amendments suggested by committee to bring the legislation in trim with the charter.
Consequently we have had a broken, unworkable, not fully implemented or fully enforced or fully complied with gun control registry law that is sustaining many charter challenges and cost 2 billion to get to this stage...THIS is what results from ignoring amendments from the justice committees.
Posted by: WL Mackenzie Redux at October 19, 2007 09:06 AM
WMLR: Exactly! It's got to be fired back at them at every opportunity.
There's no shortage of mouthy twits to set straight, Jennings, Ruby D, Mark Holland all come to mind. Nothing left for them to pick but nits.
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