Tuesday, December 23, 2008

You might want to check those credentials

From the Toronto Star: "He cited a letter by constitutional lawyers to the Montreal newspaper La Presse, saying that a "growing body of expert opinion suggests the Prime Minister may be violating the Constitution by making these appointments without the confidence of the House of Commons."

If ANY constitutional lawyer believes that the PM does not have the right to make these Senate appointments, they should either have their credentials reviewed and or be made to pee into a cup because they have no clue as to what they are talking about.

I do not have the time but does anyone out there have a copy of this letter with the names of these so called constitutional lawyers? Drop a link into the comments if you come across the info.

14 comments:

Robert G. Harvie, Q.C. said...

Not to derail the ongoing discussion regarding the Senate, but I'm calling on bloggers and readers to do something to ACTUALLY make a difference beyond just writing and reading... here's the challenge.

Ardvark said...

I did deliver some toys this weekend for our local Santa's Anonymous if that counts.

Capital C said...

Here is the letter I think they are referring to, from La Presse:

http://www.cyberpresse.ca/opinions/forums/200812/14/01-810280-inconstitutionnel.php

The experts are listed at the top of the article, pasted below:

Stéphane Beaulac, professeur de droit à l'Université de Montréal; Hugo Cyr, professeur de droit à l'Université du Québec à Montréal; Sébastien Grammond, professeur de droit à l'Université d'Ottawa; David Robitaille, professeur de droit à l'Université d'Ottawa; Maxime Saint-Hilaire, doctorant en droit à l'Université Laval, et François Tanguay-Renaud, professeur de droit à l'Osgoode Hall Law School.

maryT said...

When did the PM lose the confidence of the HofC. I guess I slept thru that vote. Just because those that want to overthrow the govt, it is their opinion he has lost confidence or trust. Chretain shut the doors of the HofC and made an appointment to the senate during the time he shut the doors, and refused to let the MPs work.
Wasn't that done to avoid the report re adscam and the sponsorship scandal.
I don't recall all the media madness when JC did that. Don't recall the media madness when Munson was made a senator, or Carstairs or the former mayor of Toronto.
And didn't Paul Martin ignore a vote of no confidence that he lost, by saying it was not a confidence bill.
Libs and media suffer from short memory syndrome.

paulsstuff said...

So I guess if they want to use that argument then any decisions or appointments the Liberal's and Paul Martin made were unconstitutional as well then, no?

Remember Martin cancelled all opposition days and put off any votes for as long as he could when he realized he was about to be voted down.

If memory serves right, he made changes to the tax rate, rammed through billions in spending, etc.

Anonymous said...

Harper loses the confidence of the house and prorogues to avoid getting booted. During this period where he lacks the support of Parliament he has no moral authority. Stuffing the house with cronies in these circumstances is disgusting politics and unconstitutional.

Anonymous said...

Hey Nonny....its legal. The fact that you find it disgusting is irrelevant. A Coalition I find disgusting..but its legal, and, the Left found my opinion of it irrelevant..funny how Kharma always finds a way to take a great big bite out of your ass isnt it??
billg

KC said...

I have no idea what these constitutional lawyers are talking about.

The Senate is an anachronism that has no business holding up the legitimate agenda of the elected House. Any move that limits its ability to thwart democracy is fine by me.

... and this is coming from someone who was a Liberal up until a few weeks ago when a certain aristocrat (who decided on foreign soil that he wanted to be PM of Canada) stole the leadership.

Anonymous said...

There is a growing body of shyte in the portable outhouses lining the canal in Ottawa. (real conservative)

Prairiehuckster39 said...

I'm going to step out a limb and ask are all these experts "Liberal" backers or are they a representative sample of Lawyers that support all of the parties/political ideologies?

Anyone can load up on "supportive" experts and claim anything they want to. And as for who can do what and get away with it, its funny that what was good for the Liberal goose is now somehow not good for the Conservative gander. Go figure.

In regards to doing something more than just writing and adding to a blog; I'll do my part. To help out I'll ship a few cases of toilet paper out east so they can clean up the ....

Anonymous said...

Quebec has not signed into the constitution so their opinions don't count.

Ardvark said...

TY Capital C, that is what I was looking for. I think those names might come in handy in the future when they are used by the MSM as "experts" rather than the partisan hacks they are.

What is so hard to understand?

PM Harper is the PM.

The PM gets to appoint Senators.

And Anon, the PM did NOT lose the confidence of the House and in fact did the Liberals a BIG favour with proroguing so not to have MP's vote against their own party.
And yes, there was little to no chance of the Government losing that confidence vote no matter what Jack Layton claims.

Anonymous said...

I can leave with Harper breakinghis own election law. I can ;live with Harper evaporating $35 billion in Albertans savings in energy trusts. But I can't understand the cowardly prorogue routine. Harper used every means available to him to avoid the confidence vote that he knew he would lose. I don't want my PM to be either cowardly or undemocratic.

What's next? Appointing Supreme Court judges without confirmation hearings?

Anonymous said...

To the last anonymous.

Are you really that stupid or are you paid to be that stupid by the NDP or the Liberals?

If the election law was broken feel free to take Harper to court and have the election overturned. What? The obvious eludes you or do you know that no laws were broken.

35 billion from income trusts just from Alberta? If you can back that up with real facts, I will pay you what you lost from your income trusts. What? Can't back up your bullshit claims with facts?

Do you really think that Harper would have lost a confidence motion a few weeks ago? Dream on. when Parliament was prorogued many Liberals breathed a big sigh of relief for not having to vote against their own party. Look at the polls you moron, it would have been political suicide.

As for the senate appointments please find me a quote where Harper said that he would never appoint senators since the 2006 campaign. I would make you another wager that you cannot, but why embarrass your sorry lying ass anymore than I already have.