to move up and down
Despite protests, Tories approve unilingual Ferguson as auditor general
The majority Conservative government approved Thursday morning Michael Ferguson as Canada’s auditor general for the next 10 years — despite opposition protests that he’s unqualified for the job because he doesn’t speak French.
The Tory government passed a motion in the House of Commons during a vote that the Liberals boycotted — calling the appointment potentially illegal — and one the NDP said is another example of Prime Minister Stephen Harper running “roughshod” over Parliament.
Interim Liberal leader Bob Rae and the rest of his caucus walked out on the vote, saying it does not make any sense to appoint an officer of Parliament who can’t speak both official languages — especially when the government’s own job posting said: “proficiency in both official languages is essential.’’
“The government unilaterally — and in our view illegally — changed the rules in the middle of the game,” Rae told reporters on Parliament Hill.
“We will not sanction or legitimize this process by participating in a vote which we believe is fundamentally illegitimate,” he added. “This is a complete abuse of process and it strikes at the heart of the Canadian identity.”
Related:
Lorne Gunter: NDP, Liberals put bilingualism before substance
Gary Clement’s Week in Review for May 22 to 28, 2011
Blue Oprah Cult: Scott Stinson on Oprah’s finale fervor
Mladic ‘too sick’ for extradition, lawyers argue
Canucks hope to put bad luck behind them
‘Long lost cousin’ Obama visits Irish village
Jonathan Kay: I want to support Israel, but Netanyahu is making it difficult
The Auditor-General’s Top 10
Report on G8 spending won’t be released, Auditor General says
The Conservatives defended themselves against allegations an Auditor General investigation had found the government misinformed Parliament on nearly $50-million in funding for projects related to last year’s G8 summit in a Tory Cabinet minister’s Ontario riding.
37 Days: Knockout punches no longer part of debates
Short of Michael Ignatieff acknowledging that he really is Just Visiting, or Stephen Harper producing a black book titled ‘Hidden Agenda’ from his blazer pocket, it will be impossible to state that a decisive blow was struck
Killing vote subsidy could alter electoral landscape: analysts
Behind the principled rhetoric surrounding the debate over $2-a-vote public subsidies for political parties are the parties’ competing self-interests, each with implications for the Canadian electoral landscape
Ignatieff’s time outside of Canada is still a problem for voters
Chris Selley: Every time there’s a citizenship-related debate in this country, Canadians reliably prove that the Liberals’ expansive, hooray-for-everyone vision of Canadian-ness is far from a consensus
National Post front page for April 12, 2011
Tories defend summit spending
A peace deal that no one is buying
Coming up at the UN: Human rights for trees
Vatican’s new Mass ‘elitist,’ priests say
