The tallies continue to pour in, and it looks like nearly twenty thousand Canadians showed up for those rallies on Saturday – not such a bad number after all. Harper, meanwhile, brushed off the protests saying that he’s more concerned with stimulus and “life and death” issues like Haiti. Gah! You can deal with those issues while Parliament is sitting. And it just goes to show how much contempt he’s showing for Parliament by dismissing its usefulness and the fact that he’s accountable to it, no matter how much presidential envy he’s got.
On the NDP’s planned prorogation-limiting bill, new opinions come in from Lorne Sossin (that it’s an empty gesture that is better spent having the GG justify her decision, making it clear that it can’t be used to avoid a vote of confidence or similar), and Ned Franks (that it would only work as legislation that limits the ability of the Prime Minister to advise the GG).
Her Excellency recorded a video message for Haiti (in English, French and Creole), offering a message of support.
It looks as though Ignatieff is making education – specifically post-secondary education – a central plank in his new platform. He wants Canada to be a more international, outward-focused country that comes with such education, rather than a narrow, inward-looking country that the Conservatives seem destined to make us.
The Auditor General took a five-day trip to Afghanistan, and says that it’s gratifying to see the vehicles the Forces procured in action. That said, she has concerns about what happens to everything and everyone we’re investing in over there once we pull out.
Up today – The Liberals are on the Hill, holding a daylong round-table on unemployment. And by daylong, the schedule says 9 to 5.30. I trust they’ll be serving lunch? On the NDP side, Jack Layton says his MPs will also be on the Hill “mapping out how best to hold Stephen Harper to account.” Um, okay. Because that sounds productive.
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