Eugene Forsey Liberal

Thursday, July 08, 2010

NDP Duncan Voted For Killing Probe! WTF?! 'MPs destroy drafts of pollution review'

I understand this less and less. I wrote 'MPs cancel oilsands pollution probe, tear up draft reports'-But How? Opposition Had Majority On Committee! But a revised version MPs destroy drafts of pollution review has this: "An 18-month review of Alberta's oilsands has come up empty after federal politicians from all parties -- including Edmonton-Strathcona NDP MP Linda Duncan -- decided to scrap its lengthy investigation and destroy drafts of any final report." and then this obscene panglossianism, as if Duncan's or Scarpaleggia's own views would ever have the weight of a committee report. Again, I ask, given the Opposition had voting majority, WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED OR IS GOING ON??!! THIS IS OBSCENE! Since when do committees destroy all their work and cancel reports on existential issues of national and international importance? Is Duncan on drugs?
Duncan called the opportunity to write her own report the "silver lining" of the committee's failure.
"My report will be more about the need for the federal government to be asserting its jurisdiction," Duncan said. (ed. comment: Yes, all of Canada is waiting for your precious report, Duncan. For frack's sake, little miss fauntleroy.)

"They have serious responsibilities in the tarsands area, from the environmental assessment right through to monitoring and enforcement.

"And they could be playing a very important role in diminishing the impacts of the tarsands, in some cases perhaps turning down or delaying projects."

Liberal MP Francis Scarpaleggia, who spearheaded the parliamentary investigation on water pollution, will also write his own report.

"The Conservative government has a lot of answering to do for its persistent lack of leadership on water in general and on oilsands and water in particular," he said.

14 Comments:

  • At 6:34 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    The NDP have been enablers of the Harper Regime for some time. You know that. It's the rest of Canada that still thinks they're 'different'.

    I personally wish they would grow a pair and accept that they're the countries 4th place party. Once they do, they can become serious s**t disturbers.

    But no ... they'd rather negotiate with the crappiest and most offensive government in Canadian history!

     
  • At 10:43 AM, Blogger Greg Fingas said…

    I'll agree to the extent of not being sure what the motivation was on the part of any of the opposition parties. But can you concede that when the decision was made by "politicians from all parties", there's absolutely zero reason to be any more angry at (or libelous towards) Linda Duncan than at the Libs who reached the same decision?

     
  • At 11:12 AM, Blogger Alison said…

    NDP MP Linda Duncan, who also sits on the environment committee, echoed Scarpaleggia's concerns about timeliness.

    "I'm equally fed up. It's really critical that this oilsands report get out. It's my jurisdiction in Alberta, and we need some strong recommendations on federal intervention," she said.

    I think the Sun means that all parties including Duncan were on the committee, not that Duncan voted to scuttle the report.

    Read more: http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/canada/Liberal+accuses+government+stalling+release+oilsands+report/3175782/story.html#ixzz0t6VJ9loh

     
  • At 3:03 PM, Blogger Eugene Forsey Liberal said…

    Dippers, if you read my previous post, and I would assume AD did as he commented on it, I was hardly lenient on the Libs, and was indeed attacked by a supposed fellow Lib for my Iggy criticism. I only wish Dippers were less cult-like and could bring themselves to criticise their own party when they think it wrong. From what I can see, Dipper bloggers remind me of Martinites back in the day: everything about and in the NDP is perfect and they must never criticise it. Groupthink. Sad. Not the CCF of yore. The most influence partisan bloggers can have is over their party. Apparently Dipper bloggers are more than happy to self-censor, restricting the only real pleasure of bloggers, freedom of conscience of speech, so as to never get offside with latte laytonites. Pitiful. What has happened to you? Hardly the behaviour of self-respecting social-democrats.

     
  • At 9:43 AM, Blogger thwap said…

    Eugene,

    Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't it the case here that you target NDP MP Duncan in your title as the culprit here, when you don't know which opposition MP voted with the harpercons to kill the report?

     
  • At 5:41 PM, Blogger Eugene Forsey Liberal said…

    No thwap, read the Edmonton Journal article to which linked. Apparently Duncan HERSELF said she was one of those that voted to kill report. If the Ed Journal is wrong, I'm happy to correct it, or if Ms. Duncan misremembered her own vote...

     
  • At 11:28 PM, Blogger thwap said…

    Eugene,

    I guess i read the links on your previous posts, Alison's link and I saw that the other one was a link to parliament's own website and i knew there was nothing there.

    I just read the one you linked to here just now. It's pretty serious, but i honestyly think that Duncan (like your Liberal) might simply have been trying to bring an end to harpercon obstructionism.

     
  • At 1:51 AM, Blogger Eugene Forsey Liberal said…

    Thwap, you are exceedingly kind to these people. The question I ask myself, to keep myself fair, what would my judgment be if it was a clear political adversay who acted this way?

    Maybe there is a good explanation. But the only way that report gets not just killed but SHREDDED is if a majority voted for it. CPC Chair, non-voting unless tie, so 5 CPC vs. 3 LPC, 2 Bloc, 1 NDP. How does that end up in a shredded report?

    I first assumed, as you read, this was some Iggy thing, but with Duncan's affirmation, I can't make head or tails. I mean, it's one thing to table the report, or postpone it, or amend it, but SHRED it?

    Even if Duncan was opposed to the report, she shouldn't vote to shred it, no-one should. All that work, all that time, and (our) money, and research, and it disappears without a trace? It's undemocratic. It's scandalous. Freeze it, but don't SHRED it? What was so upsetting ehy SHREDDED it?

    If you find out, let me know.

     
  • At 9:03 AM, Blogger thwap said…

    I think two things might have been going on:

    1) I was running all over the place yesterday and didn't give this the time i should have, in order to think about it as you have.

    2) If there are two people who want to produce independent reports, perhaps the obstructionists were playing absolutely hardball, and would not let anything happen until this public information was shredded.

    But, that doesn't explain much. People on that committee were under no obligation to keep quiet about who was trying to suppress this vital information, and they should have gone to the press to expose them.

    This is indeed, incredibly disturbing.

     
  • At 11:18 PM, Blogger Alison said…

    Well after sifting through all the individual committee members' tweets and websites, I can find nothing more substantial than Van Sun etc have already reported.
    You mention in your previous post that maybe Tonks stood in for Trudeau to shield him from having to vote it down, but Tonks led the previous tar sands committee investigation and was very committed to action on it then.

    I am beyond disgusted over the shredding and that only committee members have access to the original locked up in the Library.
    Other committees - Trade, Fisheries - have previously released reports with half the members writing dissenting opinions.

    I hope you stay on this. If I find anything I'll be back with it.

     
  • At 3:44 AM, Blogger Eugene Forsey Liberal said…

    Good comments, thwap and alison.

     
  • At 2:40 AM, Blogger Alison said…

  • At 2:46 AM, Blogger Alison said…

  • At 8:07 PM, Blogger Eugene Forsey Liberal said…

    Thanks Alison, I noted that myself elsewhere but I intend to write more on it. I've had other concerns recently. Thanks again for your kind note.

    EFL :)

     

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