This letter to the editor arrived today. We are printing it unedited except to not show the writer’s address and contact info that they included.
“On July 23, 2009, Justice Minister Robert Nicholson, speaking for the Conservative government, launched a new misinformation and propaganda campaign. In fact, the minister accused the Liberal opposition of obstructing and preventing the adoption of Bill C-15: An Act to amend the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act and to make related and consequential amendments to other Acts. Closer to us, our MP, Guy Lauzon, published in the Standard-Freeholder on July 25 a letter to the editor entitled Liberals obstruct new justice legislation.
The bill, which has only 15 articles, seeks to impose minimum penalties for serious offenses related to drugs, such as organized crime drug trafficking or using weapons or violence. Currently the law does not call for a minimum penalty.
Given the importance of the subject and the fact that the legislative process is a public process, I did a detailed research on the subject to better understand the situation. Here are the results, with the pertinent references that will allow any reader to check the facts:
Bill C-15 is almost identical to Bill C-26 (not to be confused with Bill C-26 which Guy Lauzon mentions in his letter. The numbering of bills starts again each session.) tabled on November 20, 2007, and which after having been adopted in Second Reading, died on the Order Paper when Parliament was dissolved on September 7, 2008 for the Conservative-called election. So, it is not the opposition that has prevented the putting in effect of this Bill but the Government itself.
Presented on February 27 by the Justice Minister Robert Nicholson, the Bill C-15 was adopted in Third Reading by the House of Commons on June 8, 2009. For those who would like to check the results of the vote, you will see, at the address given in reference, that all of the Liberals present in the House voted in favour of the bill. So, once again, it is not the Liberal opposition who prevented the adoption of Bill C-15. (http://www2.parl.gc.ca/Sites/LOP/LEGISINFO/index.asp?Language=E&Session=22&query=5739&List=toc)
The bill was referred to the Senate on June 9 and the Government made a first presentation on June 16, 2009. On June 22 the Conservative Senator Di Nino proposed sending the bill directly to the Senate Standing Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affaires, which is contrary to parliamentary procedure.
Lastly, to everyone’s surprise, it was the Deputy Leader of the Government, the Conservative Senator Gerald J. Comeau, who on June 23, 2009, proposed the adjournment of the Senate until September 15, 2009 at 2:00 p.m. (http://www.parl.gc.ca/40/2/parlbus/chambus/senate/deb-e/050db_2009-06-23-e.htm?Language=E&Parl=40&Ses=2 )
Given that all of the documents are in the public domain, the first question that came to mind concerns the relationship of confidence that must exist between the elected and the voters. The case of Bill C-15 is proof that the voters, be they Liberals, New Democrats, Bloquistes or even Conservatives, can no longer have confidence in the Conservative Government because even though the Conservatives know that the documents are public and thus available, present to all a deformed or false reality. Partisan and false propaganda has taken over ethics and morality, in which the Conservative Party draped itself before coming to power.
Of course all citizens should be worried by the impact of this behavior of the Conservative Government on Canadian democracy. But those who are the first concerned are the true Conservatives who see their own leaders lying to them as well, and in doing so, going against the values of their own party. It was in vain that I searched on the Conservative Party of Canada site for values that propose false propaganda. I invite them to consult the two sites mentioned that present the official documents of the Parliament of Canada and to ask their leaders to return to the values of transparency and truth talked up on the party’s official site.
I request that in the future my MP, Guy Lauzon, refuse to sign propaganda sent by the professionals of misinformation in his party. Since I consider him to be a person with a certain moral sense and ethics, I request that he say to his leader, Stephen Harper, “Mr. Prime Minister, I would like us to try to win the next election in an honest manner, without lies and slander.” In this way he could contribute to improving democracy and the political climate in Canada.
Corneliu Kirjan
please visit our sponsors:
