So Harpo & Co.'s prorogue is on, eh?From the Tory vantage point this must all seem like a win-win. Partisan, myopic, self-serving, committee avoiding; it's just what a Con doctor would order... oopsie, maybe not? Seems there may be some unintended side-effects to this strategy. From today's Globe and Mail we read that, indeed, not all parliamentary offices will be lying dormant until early March. Though the House of Commons may be silent, Canada's Parliamentary Budget Officer has rightly determined that he should carry on with his duties:
"Prorogation will not silence Parliamentary Budget Officer Kevin Page, who plans to release three substantive reports in the run-up to the March budget.
Through a quirk – or, more accurately – complete silence in the rules when it comes to the conduct of his fledgling office during a prorogation, Mr. Page says nothing stops him from continuing with his work. As a result, his reports will provide a rare flurry of activity in a quiet, snow-covered parliamentary precinct scheduled to remain idle for 11 straight weeks. ....
His next report, which could come out as early as next week, will explore an issue Finance Minister Jim Flaherty doesn't want to talk about.
It will provide an in-depth analysis in support of the view that Canada faces a “structural” deficit – meaning the country will be stuck in the red even when the economy bounces back."
Nice to see that, at least in some quarters on the Hill, the work ethic and quest for tranparency is alive and well! (Hmm, wonder how long it will take for Harpo & Co. to try and shut him down? My guess... they are trying to do so as I type!)
Um, of course there's a structural deficit, any moron can see that.
ReplyDeleteHarper has downplayed election talk but it certainly has to be an option if he sees a wave of euphoria following the Olympics.
ReplyDeleteHe probably hopes to forestall criticism wherever it comes from. Will the reports even make the media during the Games?