Conservative MP Maxime Bernier waves to supporters at a rally in Quebec City on Oct. 12, 2008.CHRIS WATTIE/Reuters
Hot: Maxime Bernier. The Conservative MP for Beauce - and a likely leadership candidate when Stephen Harper decides it's time to go - took centre stage again this week.
The Bloc Quebecois's cheeky opposition-day motion Thursday appeared to be just as much about embarrassing the Harper Tories and their Quebec maverick than its strongly-held conviction about federal spending powers.
Mr. Bernier gave a controversial speech to Toronto's Albany Club last week in which he called for an end to $40-billion worth of health and social transfers to the provinces. His demands run contrary to his own government's policy and would most definitely lead to private health care.
Against this background, the Bloc - seizing on this delicious political situation - crafted this motion, which very nicely includes Mr. Bernier: "That, in the opinion of the House, the government should, as long called for by the Bloc Quebecois and now called for by the Member for Beauce, end the so-called federal spending power in the jurisdictions of Quebec and the provinces, eliminate the federal programs that violate the division of powers, and transfer tax points to the provinces."
BQ MP Jean Dorion moved the motion and quoted extensively from Mr. Bernier's speech in his remarks. "The member for Beauce and the Bloc Quebecois are not the only ones challenging the legitimacy and the very basis for the existence of federal spending power."
He noted that Quebec governments have done the same, but that really wasn't the main point. Instead, the Bloc made everyone knew there was a Harper Conservative MP supporting the separatists on this issue.
And so it went. In the subsequent statements by other Bloc members, most made sure to mention the "Member for Beauce" and his recent musings.
Alberta Tory Ted Menzies, the parliamentary secretary to the Finance Minister, fought back, saying Mr. Bernier is a popular MP who represents his constituents well. "He is doing such a great job that in the last election a whopping 60 per cent of the voters in Beauce supported him while the Bloc candidate received a mere 13 per cent. Clearly, more Quebeckers are turning away from the Bloc."
Mr. Menzies did not, however, tackle the content of Mr. Bernier's speech.
The Bloc motion will come to a vote Tuesday. Mr. Bernier is expected to abstain.
Not: Tony Clement. The government's decision to scrap the mandatory census, which dogged the Harper government all summer since it became known, is not going away. The Industry Minister was challenged again to reinstate it in Question Period Thursday - and now a group has launched a fresh challenge in Federal Court.
In a statement, the Canadian Council on Social Development says it is "responding to the overwhelming and very real concerns about the consequences of this catastrophic decision." This comes on the heels of World Statistics Day, which statisticians marked with a mock funeral for the Canadian long-form census..
Hot: Jason Kenney. A scan of the ubiquitous Immigration Minister's tweets Friday morning is almost exhausting to read as Mr. Kenney (who some believe will also throw his hat into the leadership ring whenever Mr. Harper decides to leave) is everywhere defending his new - and controversial - legislation targeting human smugglers.
Early Friday morning, the minister did about six television and radio interviews in both official languages. On Thursday he was also all over the airwaves and in print talking up his new bill. He is also trumpeting his endorsements, including the Uthayan (Tamil) news, which he notes " fully supports" his new bill.
Clearly this is legislation the Harper government wants to make the most of. It plays to its base and so it's not just Mr. Kenney who is stumping for this legislation. As The Globe notes, "the federal Tories will be dispatching four ministers and a parliamentary secretary across the country today to talk up their approach and rally support for the legislation."