South Coast Today - house of commons

"Get the fuck out of my way": Trudeau, Mulcair, others in Commons uproar

Timothy Gillespie — Thu, 19 May 2016 10:17:17 +0000

Justin Trudeau ‘manhandled’ MP in Commons uproar, opposition says

The prime minister apologized after accusations of pushing NDP MPs, triggering a shouting match between him and Thomas Mulcair. The incident took place ahead of a vote to limit debate on the assisted suicide bill. SEE VIDEO HERE

Pariament turned downright ugly when an impatient Prime Minister Justin Trudeau crossed the aisle to drag an opposition MP forward so a vote could take place, knocking aside a female NDP MP who was so shaken she had to leave the chamber.

The encounter Wednesday led to a shouting match between Trudeau and NDP Leader Tom Mulcair after Trudeau briefly crossed the floor a second time appearing to look for someone. Mulcair can be heard on Commons video footage yelling at Trudeau: “What kind of man elbows a woman? You’re pathetic.”

The confrontation took place late in the day prior to a vote on a government bid to limit debate on its assisted suicide bill, with the opposition already furious at another Liberal move to seize control over the parliamentary agenda.

The mood was tense as each side traded insults. By the end of the day, tempers before the vote were running high. As Trudeau crossed the floor, he was allegedly overheard by NDP MPs to say “Get the f--- out of my way.”

The opposition erupted in outrage as the Speaker called for order, and ordered MPs to stop taking photos. At the far end of the Commons, former prime minister Stephen Harper stood watching it unfold.

New Democrat House leader Peter Julian rose to accuse Trudeau of “manhandling” the Conservative whip, Gord Brown, and physically pushing aside the NDP’s whip, Ruth-Ellen Brosseau.

“I have been in the House now for 12 years and I have never seen what just transpired in the House of Commons,” he said.

Trudeau stood to offer an apology, saying he thought Brown, the official Opposition whip — who ensures Opposition MPs are in place for a vote — was “impeded,” causing the vote to be delayed. “I felt that this lacked in respect for Parliament,” he said, adding he “offered my arm, extended, to help him come through the gaggle of MPs standing there.”

Trudeau's Liberal caucus gave him a loud standing ovation after these comments.

SEE TORONTO STAR STORY HERE

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Derelict vessel motion coming to House of Commons

Timothy Gillespie — Thu, 12 May 2016 15:26:42 +0000

FARLEY MOWATT IN SHELBURNE [CBC]

"The fact that some owners repeatedly abuse our waterfronts speaks volumes for this legislative shortfall."

Liberal MP Bernadette Jordan (South Shore-St. Margarets) will bring a motion to the House of Commons on June 3 regarding the need for legislation and regulation surrounding the growing scourge of abandoned and derelict vessels in Canadian coastal harbours. Both Bridgewater and Shelburne have been troubled over the years by vessels abandoned by thier owners in local harbours.

Recent regional and national TV news stories featuring Shelburne's ongoing troubles surrounding the former Greenpeace vessel Farley Mowatt and the unpardonable inaction of its owner has made the Town of Shelburne the poster child for the seeming inability of coastal communities to rid themselves of the burdensome wrecks.

At a public meeting in Shelburne some months ago Jordan said that abandoned ships have been a problem on the South Shore for decades and that there are more than 600 abandoned vessels in Canada today. She also said she "had problems" with the private members bill floated last week by NDP MP Sheila Malcolmson, as it thrust the onus of dealing with the unwanted vessels on the Canadian Coast Guard, which Jordan intimated did not have resources necessary to deal with the errant ships and their often problematic owners. "You have to tell me if you want the Coast Guard to sacrifice limited resources now attached to rescue operations," she told the crowd, but did not explain how assuming the role outlined in Malcolmson's bill would cause such a sacrifice.

In an email to SCT, Jordan said, "I am thrilled that this issue is gaining national attention, as this problem persists in coastal communities across the country. However, I do think it important that we address the root cause of the issue, and that is responsible ownership. At present, there is little recourse for Governments or property owners to challenge individuals who abandon vessels at ports or in harbours, and when disposal costs exceed the vessel value nothing deters the owner from dumping the vessel at the expense and burden of the local community. The fact that some owners repeatedly abuse our waterfronts speaks volumes for this legislative shortfall."

Shelburne mayor Karen Mattatall said at that meeting that, after it sank in Shelburne Harbour, it cost taxpayers $400-500,000 to have the Farley Mowatt raised and pumped by the Coast Guard. She told Jordan at the time, "We expect your government will do something to prevent this [abandoned vessels] from happening."

20-day jail term possible for Farley Mowatt scofflaw owner

On May 10, the court imposed more penalties on Farley Mowatt owner and scofflaw Tracy Dodds, including paying the town $5,000.

The judge also issued a warrant for the arrest and imprisonment of Dodds for 20 days for contempt of the court, but Dodds could purge the contempt and avoid the penalties if the ship is finally removed by May 31.

The Town of Shelburne also plans to recover more than $40,000 from Dodds in unpaid berthing fees.

The main engine of Farley Mowat has been removed by a crane in preparation for the ship to be towed away and broken up for scrap.

Marine law attorney Sarah Shiels told SCT that making ship owners responsible will be no easy task, as there are currently no fines, no arrests, no warrants for irresponsible owners. "It's not even an offense to abandon a vessel," she said, explaining that it is often not worth it for wharf or harbour owners to pursue an owner, adding, "you can't get blood out of a stone."

When asked if more careful crafting by towns and municipalities of berthing contacts could avoid some of the common problems faced by Shelburne and other towns, Shiels said "Absolutely."

After the introduction and one-hour debate of motion M40 (2:30-3:30 AST), the motion will get another reading in the fall. There is no guarantee that Jordan's motion will find its way into a government bill during the current sitting of the House, but her staff told SCT that they are hopeful that the motion will gain traction with government leaders..

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Tory MPs leading shameful heckling in House of Commons

Timothy Gillespie — Thu, 28 Jan 2016 12:20:50 +0000

"Observers have noticed a rise in the heckling level from a curtain-edged corner of the Commons chamber, close to House Speaker Geoff Regan and populated by a healthy contingent of male Conservative backbenchers who represent primarily Alberta ridings."

FROM THE HILL TIMES: Despite a hint from Conservative Interim Leader Rona Ambrose that the 42nd Parliament would be off to a polite start, her first question this week during Question Period when quipped about the prime minister “swanning around” with celebrities at the Davos, Switzerland, World Economic Forum, seems to have set a tone which lacks decorum.

Conservative House Leader Andrew Scheer (Regina-Qu’Appelle, Sask.), skilled at handling hecklers during his days as the youngest Speaker ever in Parliament, appeared to display impatience with his Conservative cohort during Question Period Wednesday, at one point looking at Mr. Regan as the din rose, and at another time vainly trying to get the attention of his Liberal counterpart across the aisle, Government House Leader Dominic LeBlanc (Beausejour, N.B.).From that moment on, observers have noticed a rise in the heckling level from a curtain-edged corner of the Commons chamber, close to House Speaker Geoff Regan (Halifax West, N.S.) and populated by a healthy contingent of male Conservative backbenchers who represent primarily Alberta ridings.

Their dislike for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (Papineau, Que.) reached a new height Wednesday as other Conservatives grilled him and his Cabinet over the effect low oil prices, ironically up a U.S. dollar per barrel on Wednesday, is having on their home province.

A 2011 report in Canadian Parliamentary Review magazine had some disturbing conclusions about the effects of heckling in the House of Commons. A significant number of MPs reported that heckling causes them to participate far less frequently, or not at all, in the work of the House, says the report. In addition, said the report, many of the words used against fellow MPs in heckles are contrary to Charter values. Not uncommonly, the hecklers included words of racism, ageism, sexism, religious discrimination, discrimination against physical disabilities and homophobia.

SEE FULL HILL TIMES STORY

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