Commons Carnival: Low & behold

AFTER years of minority rule, restoring stability and improving civility were at the heart of the case for electing a majority government in Ottawa. Less than a year later, the government may be more cohesive, so to speak, but the atmosphere in the Commons is no less corrosive.

Monday was nothing short of spectacular in this regard. The so-called "robocall" scandal dominated the day.

Investigations by major national newspapers point to an effort by Conservative-affiliated agents to confuse or harass voters of different stripes during the last election in a few dozen ridings. While this has poisoned the debate in the Commons, the perpetrators were ham-fisted if their purpose was to skew the outcome of the May 2011 vote. The primary targets of the allegedly fraudulent calls weren’t swing ridings, but those in which the Tories either had few prospects or were sure to win handily.

If such tactics were employed, they are flat-out illegal, not to mention a complete disgrace. In a country where turnout is declining precipitously, "voter suppression" schemes are the last thing political operatives should be engaging in. Elections Canada has launched a probe, and rightly so. On Monday, the warring parties in the Commons did have a rare moment of pseudo-unanimity when they agreed to turn over to authorities any relevant information they have. But it would have been far more encouraging had they all resolved to cease employing robocalls for petty purposes — whether they’re clearly in violation of the law or not.

To complete the tawdry tableau, Liberal Leader Bob Rae was forced to issue an apology to Public Safety Minister Vic Toews after revealing that a Liberal staffer was behind a Twitter account that exposed details of Mr. Toews’ divorce. The vicious personal attack was prompted by Mr. Toews’ own hyperbole in defending legislation which critics view as an assault on privacy. Not to be outdone, Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird was then forced to apologize to the NDP for falsely blaming the "Vikileaks" affair on them.

While Mr. Rae, especially, showed some class in his apology, class was not to win the day. Halifax MP Megan Leslie, who is no longer a rookie, thought it necessary, during a Senate-reform debate, to disrespect Nova Scotia’s nine senators by opining that she didn’t even know their names, much less what they did. It is one thing to plead ignorance; it’s another to wear it as a badge or to wield it as a sword.

Original Article
Source: the chronicle herald
Author: editorial