Thornhill ON – Like many other “New Media” sites we take submissions from the public when we feel they offer some interest to the reader.
Today Mr. Robert Ede of Thornhill Ontario submitted the following.
– – Prescience or Preciousness – We’ll know tomorrow!
Rideau Hall, Ottawa.
March 26, 2011
All Canadians were stunned and then exuberant when informed by the former Prime Minister that the Governor General had rejected Mr Harper’s request for a dissolution of the House of Commons and that Canada had avoided an election almost-guaranteed to return another “Hung House” (aka Minority Government).
According to tradition, precedent and the Constitution Acts, the Governor General, in His Role as representative of the Crown in Right in Canada, His Excellency has called upon the Liberal Leader (Michael Ignatieff) to form a government.
The former government/cabinet was defeated on a contempt-of-Parliament motion of Mr Ignatieff’s yesterday in a Commons vote of 156-145. The Opposition Parties and independents solidarity on this ethical question shows that the House does demand Accountability and Transparency from the Stewards of the Crown’s assets, treasury and sovereignty.
A statement from the spokesperson for His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston hearkened back to the King-Byng refusal of dissolution in 1926 (where the main opposition party actually held more seats than the King government) and the 2008 dissolution by his predecessor as precedents.
The statement’s Press Release quotes the Governor General as saying “In hindsight Mr Harper should have been refused in 2008, he’d not been defeated … he’d given up” and that “The most probable outcome of a 2011 Spring election is another minority House of Commons, perhaps in a coalition and perhaps as a one party minority, with Bill by Bill consent of the House.
Given Mr Harper’s contempt censure by the House yesterday, and notwithstanding Mr Harper’s opinion that a dissolution is the ‘only option’ available to him … it is not the only option open to the Office of Governor General. We believe he need not be automatically given a dissolution and the assistance of the incumbency-advantage in a hastily called election.
“While Mr Harper has served us well during the gruelling financial and economic times since the early-renewal of his mandate in 2008, an election called despite Mr Harper’s self-imposed 4 year-fixed-term changes to the Elections Act in 2007, We have decided to save the money and give the “majority” in the House an opportunity to govern”.
“Mr Harper’s recommendation was refused based in an array of inputs and constitutional-valid choices derived from the institutional memory of the members-for-life of the non-current Privy Council who were canvassed overnight.”
“Canadians are invited to study ss. 38 & 50 specifically within the BNA/Constitution Act 1867, as amended (see full table below), and the Letters Patent of 1947 for individual confirmation of the Constitutionally-entrenched authority behid my Actions today in Her Royal Highness’ name today”.
Mr. Ede then supplied the following about himself so you our viewers would have a bit of understanding where he’s coming from.
In real life, Robert Charles Ede, 57,is a RE/MAX Realtor TM living Thornhill (sales representative with RE/MAX Hallmark Realty Ltd in Toronto, first registered in 1974) and a inveterate letter to the editor writer. (Most recently published Hill Times Page 9 attached)
His zeal towards politics was ignited by the Charlottetown Referendum campaign when he formed a NO cmttee and thereafter joined the Libertarians to run Federally in 1993, provincially in 1995 and (after a pre-merger adventure on the executives of the 2 local Progressive Conservative Constituency Associations) ran as an independent in the 2006 London-North By-election in 2006 on his own “11 points to discuss… or we’ll never get anywhere” platform ( see blog link)
Ignored by the good people of London he retreated, licked his wounds and continues to write on the theme “If we’ve got a Constitution …. why don’t we follow it?“
A non-de-blog site “Sunset Sketches of a Little Country” was created in the character of Stephen(DOT)Leacock (a Rip van Winkled version of the Great Cdn short-storywriter and Political-Economics professor) attempting to point out “my how things have changed since my demise” and offering a second view (no one else seems to share) on the proper role of the Governor General re Prorogation and the 2008 Dissolution.
A Real Estate and Political blog “Nobody ever explained it to me like that” hold his views on Real Estate, economics, social policy etc often with a slant towards “the reality of most-everything-is-backwards to the commonly-held view“.
He’s done remarkable research (for a self-taught amateur with a high school education) on topics ranging from the HomoSex Civil Marriage Law to Multiple offers in a Hot Residential Real Estate Market to God & the Bible to a colour-coded, annotated Plain Language Version of the Canadian Constitution . Actually EVERYTHING with this guy somehow gets back to the constitution – he’s created a one-page 8 1/2 x 11 document outlining the evolution of Canadian governance from 1763 – pretty concise bathroom reading.(attached .xls)
He has a particularly large bee in his bonnet over the “usurpation of the Privy Council” by Wm L M King (the facts are the facts, he’s right on the as-writtende jure provisions and just has trouble convincing other people that the de facto situation is non-compliant with the law)
He enjoys writing from another person’s point of view and in addition to the revived-Leacock personna, has written a 2003 Proclamation from HRH the Queen (based on the format of the Quebec Act of 1774) and most recent a hypothetical press release from the Media Office of the Governor General on the future-news-possibility of the GG refusing the PM a Dissolution and asking the Opposition leader to form a government.
His perspective is to inform and edify, perhaps to provoke to anger the blithely-nescient and benignly-neglectful Canadian populace to take charge of their sovereignty, their governance systems, their lives and their future …. with as little dislocation and upset as possible.
In his non-real estate life he calls himself a “Forensic Acuitant” and explains (with a sly grin) that an acuitant has 4 degrees and a modicum …. a degree of intelligence, a degree of tolerance, a degree of humility, a degree of empathy AND a modicum of wit.
If you feel passionate about something and want to share on our soapbox feel free to email your submission to info@cornwallfreenews.com
Thanks Jamie!!!
9am it is!
I see CBC is making ref to possibility of a refusal & citing King-Byng
super job again THX
rce
I had to check the date, I thought it was April 1st!
“We have decided to save the money and give the “majority” in the House an opportunity to govern”.
Actually, the majority will be a combination of three parties. The “majority” of seats were won by one party, the Conservatives, and if this document from the future holds true, the Bloc, who want to destroy Canada as it is, will get veto power. How much would this cost the country, and I mean more than financially.
The liberals needed 80 more seats than they got from voters, so now they want to steal them? NO!
Have a look at this.
September 9, 2004
Her Excellency the Right Honourable Adrienne Clarkson,
C.C., C.M.M., C.O.M., C.D.
Governor General
Rideau Hall
1 Sussex Drive
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0A1
Excellency,
As leaders of the opposition parties, we are well aware that, given the Liberal minority government, you could be asked by the Prime Minister to dissolve the 38th Parliament at any time should the House of Commons fail to support some part of the government’s program.
We respectfully point out that the opposition parties, who together constitute a majority in the House, have been in close consultation. We believe that, should a request for dissolution arise this should give you cause, as constitutional practice has determined, to consult the opposition leaders and consider all of your options before exercising your constitutional authority.
Your attention to this matter is appreciated.
Sincerely,
Hon. Stephen Harper, P.C., M.P.
Leader of the Opposition
Leader of the Conservative Party of Canada
Gilles Duceppe, M.P.
Leader of the Bloc Quebecois
Jack Layton, M.P.
Leader of the New Democratic Party
INDEX: NATIONAL POLITICS
© 2011 The Canadian Press
Dear Eric,
Don’t confuse “plurality” of seats with majority.
Having the most seats (but not a numerical 50%+1) only gives the Leader of that gaggle of “50ft nobodies” the first opportunity to form a government (unless the incumbent wants to struggle on as Wm L m King attempoted in 1925 &26).
The 50%+1 gaggle-Leader is automatically given the opportunity to form a government … the will of the electorate transcends the GG’s decision.
Just because you don’t “like” a possible outcome, doesn’t mean it’s not procedurally possible.
Just because you’re nescient of the full facts, doesn’t mean they don’t apply. Remember the GST Senators? the (prescient) BNA provisions were sitting there, awaiting the applicable circumstances.
Pivotal edification point – Canada is a (top-down) Constitutional-Monarchy (with a democratic element at the bottom of the power-totem) NOT a democracy. ie sovereignty & authority flows from the Crown NOT the populace.
check my Plain language Version of the BNA 1867 Act
http://robertede.blogspot.com/2006_05_31_robertede_archive.html
Well put Robert
Thank you for your opinions and facts!!!
Dear Furtz,
Thank you for the 2004 document (that Mr Duceppe used to advantage on Sat aft)
Indeed, the situation presented to the GG at 9am on Sat26th was identical to the scenario envisioned by Harper/Duceppe/Layton in that Sept 9/04 document.
The GG acquiesced (see by opinion on that in my blog Mar 27/11 entry 5-6 paras down)
But I submit it is not unreasonable for a Governor General to:
– i) Reserve a Bill for the “signification of HRH” (s.57) -which probably now would mean to submit the Bill to a Plebiscite/referendum of the voters at large
or
– ii) reserve judgement on a momentous decision for a day or two (especially a newbie GG) to consult with his/her constitutionally mandated Queen’s Privy Council for Canada (s.11) or the Sovereign Herself.
In fact, who better for a newbie GG to consult with — what person on earth has a better World-view that HRH, having had most familial problems that a mother might experience in addition to the finest formal education possible, the highest level of experience and advice on British-style Parliamentary procedure, a stellar, near-Diamond reign over the Commonwealth during which she has met virtually every world leader since WWII and the first Canadian Monarch who, since 1982, has been released from Her obligations to Her UK “in-Council” ministers’ wishes and now is free to be Canada’s Crown as an individual person (courtesy of the UK’s 1982 Canada Act -scroll to End Note 80).
The more I think of it, HRH is the most-wasted of all Canadian resources. She should fire the stewards who allowed Her institutional memory and abilities to be so neglected and She should fire the stewards of all the other wasted assets and resources of Canada while She’s at it! (oops! same officeholders on both counts)
Back on topic — I sat on the edge of my seat until I saw Mr Harper’s self-satisfied countenance appear at the Rideau Hall doorway – darn! he got away with it again.
– (1) 2008 dissolution after no defeat,
– (2) 2008 prorogation (no vote, no defeat),
– (3) the 2nd prorogation (it’s become an annual event?)
and now
– (4) this pre-cooked for eating later dissolution.
Then perhaps look at my suggestions for REAL issues that this campaign might touch on
… for pete’s sake, income splitting five years from now (maybe) ….. how about an income tax holiday the year after we retire the whole (municipal, prov & fed) debt principal?
again Furtz I wish I’d seen your post before now … must have been held for moderation when I looked on Sat am
Salute!