Your Time Is Up, Mr. Martin

Toronto Sun ^ | 4-22-05 | Toronto Sun Editorial

[ConservativeStLouisGuy]

Prime Minister Paul Martin spoke directly to Canadians last night. So now we're going to speak directly to him.

Mr. Martin, you and your corrupt Liberal party no longer get to tell us when the next federal election will be.

You and your corrupt Liberal party no longer get to portray your crisis as Canada's crisis.

You and your corrupt Liberal party no longer get to dictate to Canadians what issues they should care about.

So do us all a favour. Stop grovelling, stop apologizing and stop trying to tell us that your latest attempt to save your own political hide has anything to do with statesmanship.

Now you're promising that you won't call an election until a month after Judge John Gomery issues his final report on AdScam in December? Now it's important that Canadians know all the facts about AdScam before they go to the polls?

What about last year's election, Mr. Martin? You called that election three months before the Gomery inquiry held its first public hearing, over the objections of the opposition parties.

You did that after you shut down the public accounts committee on which your Liberal MPs at first tried to pin the blame for AdScam not where it belonged -- on your corrupt Liberal party -- but on Auditor General Sheila Fraser. They said she'd blown it all out of proportion. Why didn't you stop them then?

As for your argument that you created the Gomery inquiry, your own aides told the media at the time you didn't have a choice. It was either that or head into an election looking like you were trying to duck the issue -- political suicide.

Last night you called AdScam "an unjustifiable mess."

AdScam isn't a "mess," Mr. Martin. What it's looking like, more and more, is a criminal conspiracy by your corrupt Liberal party to launder public money for the private benefit of the Liberal party and its friends.

You say you didn't know what was going on, and now, finally, that you should have known. We agree. Another thing we no doubt agree on is that, even more than you, it should be Jean Chretien offering an apology today to the Canadian people.

You inherited the corrupt Liberal party you now lead.

He was the one in charge as that corruption spread.

He tried to justify AdScam by arguing that while millions of dollars might have been stolen, it was worth it in the struggle to keep Canada together. He is the one who will bear the ultimate responsibility if the sponsorship program, far from helping to keep Quebec in Confederation, ends up driving it away.

But since we are no doubt in agreement about Mr. Chretien, Mr. Martin, answer this: Why, on the day after his appearance before the Gomery inquiry, where he displayed such open contempt for the proceedings, did you lead the cheering and a standing ovation for him inside the Liberal caucus room?

And why should we believe that your party, if it wins a majority government in the next election, will implement Judge Gomery's recommendations? Canadians know from the Somalia inquiry, Mr. Martin, that that's not how Liberals work.

[kimosabe31]

These guys sound like the DNC.

[Mongeaux]

yeah, WHY?

[ConservativeStLouisGuy]

The Liberal Party IS the incarnation of the DNC up here in Canada! :-)

[Mongeaux]

of course, how much was all the canadian money stolen really WORTH? Let's face it - socialist dollars aren't valued at a level much higher than monopoly money these days...

I'm putting the total at $300 American. About the price of a carton of smokes in New York.

[infidel29]

All this, and now I hear even Bono is pissed at him.... sheesh, talk about a bad week.

[P.O.E.]

Mr. Martin, you and your corrupt Liberal party no longer get to tell us when the next federal election will be. You and your corrupt Liberal party no longer get to portray your crisis as Canada's crisis. You and your corrupt Liberal party no longer get to dictate to Canadians what issues they should care about. So do us all a favour. Stop grovelling, stop apologizing and stop trying to tell us that your latest attempt to save your own political hide has anything to do with statesmanship.

Well excuuuuuuse me!

[ConservativeStLouisGuy]

All this, and now I hear even Bono is pissed at him.... sheesh, talk about a bad week.

Gee, when someone has Bono against them their life must REALLY be down the toilet! :-)

[Mongeaux]

Bono should be pissed at the guy who talked him into buying those sunglasses...

[AnOldCowhand]

....no longer get to tell us when the next federal election will be.

Can someone 'splain to me why the PM's in Canada and England have to "call for an election"? Don't they have a set date like us? If not, is there anything that limits their terms?

[ConservativeStLouisGuy]

Can someone 'splain to me why the PM's in Canada and England have to "call for an election"? Don't they have a set date like us? If not, is there anything that limits their terms?

I've only been here in Canada two years, but from what I gather Parliament has to be "dissolved" after a "no confidence" vote is voted on....and there are "certain times" when certain things can be brought up for discussion....looks like May 19 for the "no confidence" vote in the Canadian Parliament -- after that time we'll be gearing up for Conservative win in the election! :-)

[AnOldCowhand]

Parliament has to be "dissolved" after a "no confidence" vote is voted on.

Who votes in the "no confidence" vote? I was under the impression that it was Parliament that did the voting and that it was to replace the PM. But this sounds like they are voting to dissolve themselves? This is all very strange. I cannot imagine Congress voting to dissolve itself.

Good luck throwing off the lib's.

[Squawk 8888]

A term in the House of Commons is a maximum of five years, howeverit is standard practice to dissolve that House after four years. The main exception is if the governing party loses a vote in the House, at which point the Governor can either call on another party to form a government or dissolve the House and call an election. This is expected to happen soon because the even though the Liberals have more seats than any other party they control fewer than half of them so they require support from other parties to remain in power.

Next week I'll explain whey a missed field goal in Canada scores a single point.

[AnOldCowhand]

....if the governing party loses a vote in the House...

That would be a vote on a bill or some such?

Thanks for the lesson. My knowledge of Canadian geography and civics is wanting. I must confess that your system seems odd. Is the reason to avoid having a divided government?

[-=[_Super_Secret_Agent_]=-]

our system is base on the British one. The Trudeau gang poisoned our system.

[AnOldCowhand]

The Trudeau gang poisoned our system.

?????????

[goldstategop]

The federal Liberals launched Gomery only because the heat was getting too close. If they had a majority, there would have been no investigation. Prime Minister Paul Martin is misleading the Canadian people. The Liberals are not responding to this criminal conspiracy out of a goodness of heart but because the Opposition was able to hold them accountable. No one in Canada thinks Martin would have delivered a prime time address to the country if the entire Ad-Scam scandal could have been completely buried. The country's existence was never at stake and now the Liberals stand exposed as crooks without shame and still less as hollow men without principle. It just stuns me the PM can get up there and tell people on TV he's indispensable.

(Denny Crane: "Sometimes you can only look for answers from God and failing that... and Fox News".)

[-=[_Super_Secret_Agent_]=-]

Martin went prime time is the best thing that ever happened to Harper. Even the people who don't know what gomery is about will start asking question ("gosh, this must be that bad").
Did you see the contrast between Harper and Martin? lol.
Don't get me started on Layton. No wonder people don't vote for them.

[goldstategop]

Some provinces like British Columbia and Ontario have already adopted fixed date elections. The federal Prime Minister can drop a writ - that is, call an election when its politically advantageous to his party's prospects of victory. A lot of people feel that grants the ruling party too much power and makes a mockery of the idea the people can change their government when Parliament's term constitutionally expires. So there's a movement to have federal elections held every five years as prescribed by the Constitution Act.

(Denny Crane: "Sometimes you can only look for answers from God and failing that... and Fox News".)

[headsonpikes]

The Trudeau gang poisoned our system.

?????????

*!#!@&*!# would be my response.