and raise you stalling it in the Senate.
...While the large Liberal majority in the Senate led many on the Hill to expect the bill would then be passed quickly into law, the Liberal Leader in the Senate told The Globe and Mail that her party won't fast-track the bill.
"We won't skip any steps," Senator Céline Hervieux-Payette said. Liberal senators have been under fire the past year for taking several months to pass key Conservative initiatives such as the government's ethics bill. They appear to be aware they would face further attacks if they then fast-tracked a bill from the Liberal Party.
"I don't have a double standard," Ms. Hervieux-Payette said.
Truly amazing stuff. I am too cynical to believe that Ms. Hervieux-Payette is playing this straight - could it be that the Liberals are finally realizing how much they have blown this issue?
(thanks to Sinister Greg for the link)
Comments (5)
I’ll raise you an “adjourn for the day before we vote on the Senate Tenure bill”.
It’ll be just hiiiilarious to see the Senate fast-track this bill through but keep stalling on the Senate Reform bill.
Posted by alan | February 15, 2007 3:59 PM
Posted on February 15, 2007 15:59
Every time the opposition and press and blogsphere go over the top Harper just looks that much more prime ministerial:
“The prime minister says he’ll respect the bill when, and if, it passes the Senate and gets royal assent to become law.
However, he adds, the bill provides no plan of action, nor does it give the government the authority to spend a cent to develop such a plan.
The prime minister says the government will bring in a national system regulations to control both greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution in a way that will preserve jobs and the economy”
Bottom line. He answers within 60 days with a Budget and a revised Clean Air Act. When and if yesterday’s bill gets Royal Assent it will already be moot as the opposition will have already passed the Budget and Clear Air Act or gone to an election.
Meanwhile yesterday’s bill is already hibernating in in the Senate waiting for better electoral weather for the Liberals.
Posted by yyc | February 15, 2007 4:49 PM
Posted on February 15, 2007 16:49
Forgive me for having not yet read the Bill, but aren’t we already following the Kyoto Protocol? We are not going to meet the targets, but the Protocol allows for that (i.e. with even more aggressive targets).
As for economic impacts, we have to remember that there is not only the direct cost of compliance measures, but also the economic costs associated with ongoing global warming: just because we spend billions to reduce GHG emissions, we will not escape the costs of ongoing global warming (which will continue as foreign emissions continue).
Posted by Paul O | February 15, 2007 6:35 PM
Posted on February 15, 2007 18:35
BC’s plan: “…All electricity produced in B.C. will be required to have net-zero greenhouse-gas emissions by 2016…”
BC HYDRO? How many emissions do dams create? (I’m asking, but I suspect very few.)
Posted by Candace | February 16, 2007 12:25 AM
Posted on February 16, 2007 00:25
Older and wiser Liberal heads in Senate will prevail. The Bill won’t clear the final hurdles during the lifetime of this Parliament.
Posted by lrC | February 16, 2007 2:05 AM
Posted on February 16, 2007 02:05