Appropriation Bills: Senator

[FiveParadox]

On Tuesday, the last sitting of the Honourable the Senate of Canada before the Upper House rose for a week for Canada Day, an impressive speech was delivered by The Honourable Senator Irving Gerstein C.M., O.Ont (Ontario) on the subject of appropriation bills. The speech was in fact such a fantastic one that I thought that other members here might appreciate the very serious nature of debate in the Senate. The honourable senator delivered these remarks during the debate on Bill C-44, An Act for granting to Her Majesty certain sums of money for the federal public administration for the financial year ending March 31, 2011, which was passed later in the day (and which also received royal assent later the same day).

Honourable senators, when we debate appropriation bills in this place, we commonly say that the government seeks Parliament's approval to spend certain sums of money on certain items. However, as honourable senators well know, it is more accurate to say that appropriation bills require Canadian taxpayers — workers, families and consumers, rich and poor, young and old — to spend their money on the items described in the bill. That, honourable senators, casts our deliberations in a very different light.

If the money were Parliament's or the government's to spend, and if we had a big self-replenishing money pot in a special vault under the Peace Tower, our choices would be easy. We would buy the best of everything for Canadians. However, it is not that easy. When we debate an appropriation bill, we are debating whether compelling Canadians to spend their money on the priorities described in the bill is a good deal for them.

Click here to view the rest of the speech.

Source

• Debates of the Senate • Parliament of Canada homepage • Debates - Issue 45 - June 29 2010

 

[Cliffy]

On Tuesday, the last sitting of the Honourable the Senate of Canada before the Upper House rose for a week for Canada Day, an impressive speech was delivered by The Honourable Senator Irving Gerstein C.M., O.Ont (Ontario) on the subject of appropriation bills. The speech was in fact such a fantastic one that I thought that other members here might appreciate the very serious nature of debate in the Senate. The honourable senator delivered these remarks during the debate on Bill C-44, An Act for granting to Her Majesty certain sums of money for the federal public administration for the financial year ending March 31, 2011, which was passed later in the day (and which also received royal assent later the same day).


Click here to view the rest of the speech.

Source

• Debates of the Senate • Parliament of Canada homepage • Debates - Issue 45 - June 29 2010

Nice words except for the bit of propaganda about the wonderful job Harper and his cronies are doing. He was right about the vast numbers being incomprehensible to most Canadians. What is more incomprehensible is what it is spent on. For example, I learned that the Department of Indian Affairs in Winnipeg is a front for CSIS. Much of the money slated for infrastructure improvements for "First Nations" is probably slated to finance CSIS work instead. I wonder how much other finances are as creatively mis-appropriated.