Tory senators blast NDP for advocating Senate abolition

[Zipperfish]

Smart little Judo move by the Borg. Dumb move---showing a ham-fistedness they have recently developed--by the Cons. The Senator went all pit bull, but it was a nice little judo move by the MP. Flipped that attack on the old Senator big time.

From wiki:

Dagenais ran for a seat to the Canadian House of Commons
under the Conservative banner in the 2011 Canadian federal election in
Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot. He was defeated finishing a distant third place out of
five candidates behind winner Marie-Claude Morin and defeated incumbent Ève-Mary
Thaï Thi Lac.





Prime Minister Stephen Harper advised Governor General
David Johnston to appoint Dagenais to the Senate of Canada on January 6,
2012,and he was subsequently appointed on January 17.

 

[Goober]

Just she? I stand with the aggrieved not the bully. Guess I'm being old fashioned.

She followed party policy in attacking the Senate- same as Mulcair attacking the Speaker of the Senate- insinuating he was abusing the housing allowance.

I have no sympathy for her- If you attack, then expect the same in return.

 

[taxslave]

Smart little Judo move by the Borg. Dumb move---showing a ham-fistedness they have recently developed--by the Cons. The Senator went all pit bull, but it was a nice little judo move by the MP. Flipped that attack on the old Senator big time.

From wiki:

Interesting slant on reality

 

[Goober]

Smart little Judo move by the Borg. Dumb move---showing a ham-fistedness they have recently developed--by the Cons. The Senator went all pit bull, but it was a nice little judo move by the MP. Flipped that attack on the old Senator big time.

From wiki:

No she looked horrible- Please protect us poor MP's. What law would she like?
Then states if she was a man - well either sex, she would still not not have a brain.
The Senator was quoting from Constituents. Has she met them yet?


Then Cullen implies the whole Senate is corrupt.
From the link
CBC News - Tory senators blast NDP for advocating Senate abolition
Cullen scoffed at the threat and said the NDP has no intention of backing off its criticism of the Senate. "If they want to have a fight about legitimacy between us and the unelected and under investigation Senate, we welcome it," he said in an interview.​

He said he's following the lead of Senate Speaker Noel Kinsella, who issued an unprecedented statement earlier this week blasting NDP Leader Tom Mulcair for accusing him of making fraudulent housing expense claims.

Kinsella also held an extraordinary news conference Monday in the Senate chamber, which he used in part to offer a history lesson on the merits of having a second parliamentary chamber.

"When they will attack the Senate, from now on they will have to expect a reaction from senators," Dagenais said in an interview.

 

[Spade]

Borg called the Senate "expensive and undemocratic"
What's not to agree with her analysis?

 

[Spade]

Sam Spade (Humphrey Bogart) gets rough - The Maltese Falcon - YouTube

 

[Zipperfish]

No she looked horrible- Please protect us poor MP's. What law would she like?
Then states if she was a man - well either sex, she would still not not have a brain.
The Senator was quoting from Constituents. Has she met them yet?


Then Cullen implies the whole Senate is corrupt.
From the link
CBC News - Tory senators blast NDP for advocating Senate abolition
Cullen scoffed at the threat and said the NDP has no intention of backing off its criticism of the Senate. "If they want to have a fight about legitimacy between us and the unelected and under investigation Senate, we welcome it," he said in an interview.​

He said he's following the lead of Senate Speaker Noel Kinsella, who issued an unprecedented statement earlier this week blasting NDP Leader Tom Mulcair for accusing him of making fraudulent housing expense claims.

Kinsella also held an extraordinary news conference Monday in the Senate chamber, which he used in part to offer a history lesson on the merits of having a second parliamentary chamber.

"When they will attack the Senate, from now on they will have to expect a reaction from senators," Dagenais said in an interview.

I've seriously considered your post but determined that my original post is right and you are wrong. Please adjust your opinion accordingly.

Interesting slant on reality

Thanks, that's what I was going for!

 

[Goober]

I've seriously considered your post but determined that my original post is right and you are wrong. Please adjust your opinion accordingly.



Thanks, that's what I was going for!

Sorry cannot do.
Why you ask?
I asked my wife and she said No.

 

[Zipperfish]

Sorry cannot do.
Why you ask?
I asked my wife and she said No.

Well, I suppose I'll settle for an apology then. :lol:

 

[tay]

Somebody has to put a stop to this crap..........




Senate Speaker a frequent flyer to the Holy City




The total cost of the trips that included a stop at the Vatican is $255,000, although the price tag of the most recent trip this past September is not yet public.




The money comes from funds designated for parliamentary associations and exchanges and approved by the Boards of Internal Economy of both the Senate and the House of Commons.


If either Kinsella or his House of Commons counterpart, Andrew Scheer, wants to travel, both Speakers must sign off on the financial recommendation.


Kinsella’s wife’s travel is also covered by the taxpayer because the Speaker enjoys a special position when it comes to official government travel. He is the fourth in order of Canadian protocol after the Governor General, the Prime Minister and the Chief Justice.


It is money well spent, according to Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird.


“I think Senator Kinsella as Speaker of our upper house has been a good interlocutor between Canada and the Vatican, we certainly appreciate his work in that regard,” he said.


Canada also has a permanent diplomat assigned to the Vatican who is tasked with advocating Canadian foreign policy interests and societal values.


That should be enough, says NDP MP Charlie Angus, who questions why Kinsella has taken it upon himself to build bridges with the Vatican.


“How is it that they can decide that they can be ambassadors at large? Are they charging the taxpayers for these trips? If they’re charging the taxpayer, I think there needs to be some kind of accountability mechanisms,” he said.




more




Senate Speaker a frequent flyer to the Holy City - National | Globalnews.ca

 

[Spade]

Somebody has to put a stop to this crap..........




Senate Speaker a frequent flyer to the Holy City




The total cost of the trips that included a stop at the Vatican is $255,000, although the price tag of the most recent trip this past September is not yet public.




The money comes from funds designated for parliamentary associations and exchanges and approved by the Boards of Internal Economy of both the Senate and the House of Commons.


If either Kinsella or his House of Commons counterpart, Andrew Scheer, wants to travel, both Speakers must sign off on the financial recommendation.


Kinsella’s wife’s travel is also covered by the taxpayer because the Speaker enjoys a special position when it comes to official government travel. He is the fourth in order of Canadian protocol after the Governor General, the Prime Minister and the Chief Justice.


It is money well spent, according to Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird.


“I think Senator Kinsella as Speaker of our upper house has been a good interlocutor between Canada and the Vatican, we certainly appreciate his work in that regard,” he said.


Canada also has a permanent diplomat assigned to the Vatican who is tasked with advocating Canadian foreign policy interests and societal values.


That should be enough, says NDP MP Charlie Angus, who questions why Kinsella has taken it upon himself to build bridges with the Vatican.


“How is it that they can decide that they can be ambassadors at large? Are they charging the taxpayers for these trips? If they’re charging the taxpayer, I think there needs to be some kind of accountability mechanisms,” he said.




more




Senate Speaker a frequent flyer to the Holy City - National | Globalnews.ca

Una battuta!
- Pope Francis

 

[FiveParadox]

Some of this criticism is really quite unfounded. The Speakers of the Senate and the House of Commons are two of the highest-ranking officials in Canada, and need to be able to travel as national representatives to the legislatures of other countries.

 

[pgs]

Some of this criticism is really quite unfounded. The Speakers of the Senate and the House of Commons are two of the highest-ranking officials in Canada, and need to be able to travel as national representatives to the legislatures of other countries.

Why ?

 

[petros]

Why ?

SEnd the Speaker of the house places? Why? He's still a boy.

 

[tay]

Some of this criticism is really quite unfounded. The Speakers of the Senate and the House of Commons are two of the highest-ranking officials in Canada, and need to be able to travel as national representatives to the legislatures of other countries.

If he/she can travel to places like Uganda, China, Saudi Arabia etcetera and make them change their ways I may say money well spent.


But hanging around the Vatican doing who knows what, does not equate a breakthrough for anyone...........

 

[tay]

Some of this criticism is really quite unfounded. The Speakers of the Senate and the House of Commons are two of the highest-ranking officials in Canada, and need to be able to travel as national representatives to the legislatures of other countries.

As long as they are unelected and simply appointed 'boot lickers' for their respective Liberal or Conservative master they have no standing of prestige and have not earned a reputation that presumes respect based on their accomplishments.........










The new Senate speaker says the Red Chamber is looking at ways to maintain the suspension without pay of senators Mike Duffy, Patrick Brazeau and Pamela Wallin after the election, despite prior assumptions that their pay cheques would resume once this parliamentary session ends.


Leo Housakos told CTV's Question Period that the Senate has the power to continue to garnish the wages of the suspended senators after the current session wraps up.


Duffy, Brazeau and Wallin’s suspensions only apply to this session of Parliament, which is set to dissolve later this year before the October election. Prior to Housakos’ comments, the Senate had said that the $142,400 base salaries of Duffy, Brazeau and Wallin will resume during the election.




It was originally thought that the Senate would have to debate a new motion to suspend the trio again without pay after Parliament reconvenes. But Housakos said the Senate will revisit each suspension when the new Parliament resumes.


In the meantime, Housakos said the Senate is awaiting a report from Auditor General Michael Ferguson reviewing every senator's budget; it’s expected at the beginning of June.


The report was initiated after allegations of misspending by four senators -- Duffy, Wallin and Brazeau, and former Liberal Senator Mac Harb. All except Wallin -- who is still under RCMP investigation -- face charges.


While Housakos could not say what was in the report, he said he and the Senate have given a "solemn oath" to make the entire thing public.


"If he (Ferguson) names names … (they) will be named. If he gives recommendations in terms of changes that are required to be made, we will make those changes as well," he said.


Housakos also said if the report finds that other senators have broken the law or hurt the reputation of the Senate, "we will be as severe with those cases as we have been severe with previous cases.” He added that the Red Chamber won’t hesitate to refer cases to the proper authorities as needed.


For Housakos, the report will be a "watershed moment" for the Senate.


"I look forward to, one day, the Canadian people looking at the Senate of Canada as a place where they can empower themselves to fight for issues that are important to Canadians."






Red Chamber considering continued suspension without pay for embattled senators: Speaker | CTV News

 

[Tecumsehsbones]

You realize once you get the first Borg in Parliament, it's only a matter of time.

 

[tay]

Senate audit cost $21M, another 10 senators will be referred to RCMP








A sweeping Auditor General’s audit of the Senate has cost taxpayers $21 million, and uncovered troubling expense claims from 10 more sitting and former senators, CTV News has learned.


The 10 senators filed questionable expenses amounting to more than $100,000, sources told CTV’s Ottawa Bureau Chief Robert Fife.




“There are a lot of people who are hurting in this country and will be scratching their heads and going, ‘This is 2015 -- what the hell is going on?’” Dewar said.


The audit identified 30 additional senators who had problems with expense claims, including trips that did not appear to involve parliamentary business.


These expenditures are not enough to trigger an RCMP investigation, but the Senate will require them to re-pay money, sources say.


The auditor general’s office declined to comment on the findings until the report is released in the first week of June.




Senate audit cost $21M, another 10 senators will be referred to RCMP: sources | CTV News

 

[tay]

A Conservative-dominated Senate committee changed a report into Senator Mike Duffy’s expense claims at least seven times, documents obtained by Global News reveal.


The confidential drafts reveal for the first time the extent of the changes on the May 9, 2013 Senate report into the expenses of the now-suspended former Conservative senator.


The report was based on the findings of a Deloitte audit into Duffy’s expense. The audit said the senator, who claimed living expenses for his Ottawa home, spent about 30 per cent of his time in Prince Edward Island. But it also determined the criteria for primary residence are lacking.


The RCMP has suggested in court transcripts that Tkachuk and Olsen altered the reports with the help of the Prime Minister’s Office after Duffy repaid $90,000, later revealed to have been with former chief of staff Nigel Wright’s money.


The final report also removed a reference to the fact that although Duffy owns a place in PEI, his “continued presence at his Ottawa residence over the years does not support such a declaration and is contrary to the plain meaning of the word ‘primary’ and to the purpose of the provision of living allowance in the (NCR) National Capital Region.”


The documents were filed Friday by Duffy’s defence as part of an application to have an internal report about Senate living expenses used as evidence in his trial. The Senate is arguing the report is protected by Parliamentary privilege.


Duffy has pleaded not guilty to 31 charges of fraud, breach of trust and bribery. His trial resumes after a three-week break on June 1.


Below are three examples of the drafts:






Conservative-dominated Senate committee changed Mike Duffy report 7 times: documents - National | Globalnews.ca

 

[tay]

Is The Senate Ready to Sellout Canadians?








We are still waiting to see what the Senate is going to do with the controversial bill C-51 now that it has landed at their feet. Leading up to the vote on the bill, we've seen several professionals give testimony before the Senate's national security committee, including Steven Blaney, RCMP Commissioner Bob Paulson, and several other witnesses. Those in favor of the bill continue to argue for its passage because they say that there aren't already sufficient tools in place to deal with terrorism. But this is a false claim which countless security, policing, and legal experts, have already argued just isn't the case.

When it comes to understanding whether or not bill C-51 is justified under Canadian law, rather than asking government representatives, we should look to legal experts like the Canadian Bar Association (CBA) for some clue as to its legality. Their organization stands firmly against this bill, as do hundreds of other law professors from various universities across the nation. Regardless of the Conservatives' empty promises that CSIS won't interrupt legal activism, the CBA warns that the “vague and overly broad language” used in the bill, could leave room for the infringement on legitimate activity; among other concerns for the bill. One of their more pressing concerns with the bill, is that it would offer a provision which would give judges the ability to authorize CSIS violations of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.




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