Unelected Tory senators kill climate bill passed by House

[JBoy]

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/ottawa-notebook/unelected-tory-senators-kill-climate-bill-passed-by-house/article1802519/

The Conservatives have used their clout in the Senate stacked by Prime Minister Stephen Harper to kill an NDP climate change bill that was passed by a majority of the House of Commons.

Without any debate in the Red Chamber, Conservative senators caught their Liberal and unelected counterparts off-guard on Tuesday by calling a snap vote on Bill C-311, the Climate Change Accountability Act introduced by Bruce Hyer, a New Democrat who represents Thunder Bay-Superior North in the House.

“This was one of the most undemocratic acts that we have ever seen in the Parliament of Canada,” NDP Leader Jack Layton said at a press conference Wednesday morning.

“To take power that doesn't rightfully belong to them to kill a bill that has been adopted by a majority of the House of Commons representing a majority of Canadians is as wrong as it gets when it comes to democracy in this country.”

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Harper's transformation to complete hypocrite is nearing completion. Can you imagine his outrage if Liberal senators had killed one of his bills?

[Lucy Goosey]

1. Harper is getting even worse at hiding his contempt of democracy.

When do we get to vote him out?

[RedSock]

6. I hear the Libs *might be* ready for an election in 2018. (eom)

[Canuckistanian]

8. I've been asking myself that very question for years

Just give me a chance. Any chance.

[shockedcanadian]

2. Have to admit when Layton gets angry he can sure speak up a storm...

I really am not a person interested in Climate issues, my bag is Intelligence in Canada; CSIS and the RCMP specifically, and my interest in this governments' lack of accountability to Canadians (based on personal experience). I have to say though, Layton is really calling a spade a spade. Check out his words (link provided), "fundamentally undemocratic" ouch:

http://news.ca.msn.com/top-stories/cbc-article.aspx?cp-documentid=26385265

Layton argued Harper had no right to use his "unelected senator friends" to kill the bill, which he called the will of the House, and said it was the first time that a bill passed in the House was defeated in the Senate.

"He's lost his moral centre," Layton said. "He's fundamentally undemocratic, Mr. Speaker. Let's be clear about it, that's the truth. He broke his promise to bring our troops home, which this House asked for. He broke his promise to have votes on the use of our troops in foreign wars.

"He broke his promise never to appoint unelected senators, and now, he's using them to subvert the will of this House. It's never happened before. It should not be permitted, and where is his democratic impulse?" said Layton.

'Another ambush move'

Earlier in the day, another NDP MP called it "another ambush move" by the Harper government.

"I'm still reeling from the shock, but after no debate, no consideration at all, all of a sudden in another ambush move by Stephen Harper, the Senate voted yesterday to kill the climate change without debate," said Bruce Hyer, MP for Thunder Bay-Superior North.

[Posteritatis]

3. He'd probably just try to abolish the Senate altogether

I find it interesting how it's always "the Senate" until they do something somebody doesn't like, at which point it's suddenly "the unelected Senate."

I'm also a bit weirded out by the Senate actually doing something noteworthy on a legislative level, even though I definitely wish they'd done something other than that. Ugh.

[glarius]

4. My God....when will Canadians wake up to the fact that Harper is a DICTATOR?

This man is intent on completely remaking Canada in his own image!

[Canuckistanian]

9. He's a control freak

Who THINKS he's a dictator.

[CHIMO]

5. So Much

For informed consideration.

[Canuckistanian]

7. I'm outraged by this

I just listened to an interview on As it Happens with Hyer.

He was dumbfounded by this. He had no idea it was even voted on by the Senate until the news today.

[Arrowhead2k1]

10. It's official.

Canada is ruled by a dictatorship.

[Toilet]

11. So did we...

Have a liberal dictator when they had the deck stacked?

[tuvor]

12. You tell us.

The act had passed third reading in the House of Commons in May. 193 days later, it was defeated by the current senate with no debate and without being sent back to committee. At least 15 Liberal senators and several independents were absent the day of the vote, more than enough to have yielded a different result.

I'm kind of doubting there's some Liberal example that's quite so undemocratic, since no one's used the well-the-Liberals-did-it-too spin.

But if you have something, please drop the innuendo and share it here. Nothing better for democracy than an educated populace.