First: the vuvuzela
Tony Clement isn’t bothered at all by the controversy swirling around his Muskoka riding over the gazebos, steamboats and spending in advance of the G8 summit.
Rather, the Industry Minister is involved in another controversy – that of the South African vuvuzela.
He and 174,000 other people have downloaded the vuvuzela “app.” Here is what he tweeted:
“Just downloaded my vuvuzela app! It's almost like being there – except for the fact that I'm in Ottawa, attending Parliament, wearing a suit.”
Controversial at the soccer matches – as the buzzing sound is distracting and annoying to some fans, commentators and even players – Mr. Clement’s vuvuzela app has proved annoying to some of his colleagues.
This morning, he said, that he has used it “to bother colleagues mostly: I've annoyed Baird, Cannon, Moore & Lunn so far.”
(He was referring to his cabinet colleagues: John Baird, Lawrence Cannon, James Moore and Gary Lunn)
As to the team he is cheering for: “Oh I'm with England. You know, unrealistic hopes dashed on the rocks of reality...”
Second: guns
Mark Holland says there will be no vote on abolishing the long-gun registry before September; the Conservatives have put it off until after the summer.
“It says to me that they are not really interested in scrapping the registry,” says the Liberal public safety critic. “They (the Conservatives) are a lot more interested in playing politics with it. So they want to play games over the summer and don’t want to see the bill actually come for a vote.”
Mr. Holland had angered the Conservatives with his recent motion – that the House should not proceed with the Conservative bill to destroy the registry.
That motion must be dealt with before the vote on the private member’s bill by Manitoba Tory MP Candice Hoeppner to scrap the registry.
Because it is her bill, she is the one to decide, along with the Speaker, when to debate and vote on Mr. Holland’s motion.
Mr. Holland said Monday that he received notice that his motion will be debated on Sept. 21 and voted on Sept. 22 – almost 18 months after Ms. Hoeppner first introduced her bill.
If his motion passes – and the Liberals are whipped on this and will support it – it would mean that Ms. Hoeppner’s bill dies.
Last November, Ms. Hoeppner pulled off a bit of a coup when she garnered the support of eight Liberals and 12 New Democrats to pass her bill into committee.
The Liberals were embarrassed, especially since the registry was a measure they brought in under Jean Chrétien at much political cost.
Since then, Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff has whipped his MPs, meaning that they will no longer be able to support her bill.
However, the NDP vote is not whipped; the NDP MPs could potentially help her pass her bill.
“We have a solid, unified caucus position,” says Mr. Holland. “So it is up to the NDP now. The ball is in their court as to whether or not this registry is going to be saved or not.”
Mr. Holland, meanwhile, believes the Conservatives are dragging their feet for fear of “either passing or failing but either way losing an issue they play political games with.”
This is an issue that galvanizes the Tory base; without it the Conservatives would have less ammunition to bash the Liberals and they would also lose a vehicle by which to raise lots of campaign funds.
“The plot thickens,” he says.
Third: pensions
As Finance Minister Jim Flaherty tries to negotiate increases to the Canada Pension Plan with his provincial colleagues, 75 of his federal colleagues are poised to be eligible to collect the fattest, most generous pensions around.
“Quite ironic that Mr. Flaherty is talking about CPP tax hikes yet won’t look at the gold-plated MP pension plan,” says Kevin Gaudet of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation.
“After six years an MP is entitled to a pension – the smallest amount for which is twice the maximum of CPP, for which one must work their whole life!
“MP pension reform is badly needed so they can lead by example,” he says.
There are 75 MPs – all elected in the June, 2004, general election – who will in the next couple of weeks be eligible for their rewards. Their pensions, to be collected when they are 55, range between $32,000 and $44, 000 a year.
Here is the breakdown of who qualifies: 35 Conservatives, 16 Bloc Québécois, 15 Liberals, 8 New Democrats and one independent (Helena Guergis, who would be at the higher end of the scale because she served in cabinet).
Mr. Gaudet has an event planned this morning on Parliament Hill to educate Canadians about the unfairness of the MP pension. His federation wants MP pensions to be similar to private-sector defined contribution pension plans.
