(Through Rose-Coloured Glasses)
In a historic ruling, Speaker Peter Milliken ruled the Conservative government could be considered in contempt of Parliament for refusing MPs a look at secret records on Afghan detainees, and gave the government and opposition two weeks to work out a compromise over the release of the documents. And after much fighting and threatening, MPs finally agreed on a legal framework of releasing those documents. Here is a glimpse of what an un-redacted document will look like :
A PREVIOUSLY REDACTED DOCUMENT
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Stephen Harper is no less determined than his predecessors to personally control the agenda. But we’ve had six years now of minority government, and during those years Parliament has become an increasingly powerful counterweight to the administration of the day. Parliamentary committees have started exercising their power to compel individuals to appear before them and to explain their actions. Private member’s bills have actually become the law of the land. And in an ultimate test and exercise of power, the opposition parties combined to force the government to show them the uncensored documents relating to the treatment of detainees in Afghanistan. There have been mistakes. The attempt in 2008 to force a coalition government on the Canadian people was an adolescent effort by the opposition to wield its newfound power. As coalition negotiations in London this week demonstrated, voters expect the party with the most seats to be part of the government. And Mr. Harper, fighting back against this new threat to his hegemony, has used the power of prorogation so cavalierly that Parliament may have to take that power away from him. |
AND NOW AN UN-REDACTED DOCUMENT
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Stephen Harper is no less determined than his predecessors to personally control the agenda. But we’ve had six years now of minority government, and during those years Parliament has become an increasingly powerful counterweight to the administration of the day. Parliamentary committees have started exercising their power to compel individuals to appear before them and to explain their actions. Private member’s bills have actually become the law of the land. And in an ultimate test and exercise of power, the opposition parties combined to force the government to show them the uncensored documents relating to the treatment of detainees in Afghanistan. There have been mistakes. The attempt in 2008 to force a coalition government on the Canadian people was an adolescent effort by the opposition to wield its newfound power. As coalition negotiations in London this week demonstrated, voters expect the party with the most seats to be part of the government. And Mr. Harper, fighting back against this new threat to his hegemony, has used the power of prorogation so cavalierly that Parliament may have to take that power away from him. |