Same ol' political crap


A story on The Telegram’s front page today, Toews blames Grits for no new prison, has the federal Conservatives taking a shot at the province’s 6 Liberal MPs.

But, as usual, the only real blow is delivered to Newfoundland and Labrador.

Federal Public Safety Minister Vic Toews told reporters in St. John’s Monday the Harper government will not help pay for a new prison to replace the 152-year-old museum by the lake, Her Majesty’s Penitentiary.

Why?

Because the province’s 6 Liberal MPs didn’t bring a new prison to his attention.

You wouldn’t know but an election was in the air.
•••
Three questions:

First, Stockwell Day, the federal Public Safety minister immediately prior to Toews, toured the Pen in July 2008.

Why didn’t Stockwell put the Pen on Toews’ radar?

Stockwell's tour of the Pen was set up by Conservative Senator Fabian Manning.

Why didn't Manning put the prison on Toews' radar?

Finally, Toews has been Public Safety minister for 13 months.

Why hasn’t one of the province’s 6 Liberal MPs put a new prison on Toews' radar?

Siobhan Coady, for one, is quick with a response.

Here's a great sound bite from Siobhan: "We don’t just need to be tough on crime, we as a country also need to be smart on crime."

And what changes?

Nothing.
•••
The Harper Conservatives have refused to help fund a new prison in NL since 2008, according to the CBC, which obtained internal correspondence.

The Pen may be ancient, but there’s another line of thinking that the prison serves its purpose just fine.

Stockwell Day once described the prison’s interior as “one of the greatest disincentives for anyone to want to commit a crime — because that is not a place you would want to go to.”

Comments

NL-ExPatriate said…
it doesn't matter what national party MP's we send to Ottawa they all have to Toe the same national party line.
"Do what's in the best interest of the majority of the population or else!"
The majority of the population lives either in Ontario and Quebec or Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver.
The only way we will ever get our voice delivered to Ottawa is to send INDEPENDENT MP's to Ottawa on our behalf.
February 23, 2011 at 3:44 PM
When will we revolt? said…
Canada's system of government is broken.
Corporate lobby groups with personal connections to the elected government of the day gets more meetings with ministers and more policy consideration than the people.
Nepotism, cronyism, political and corporate self-interest are the cancers that are killing western democracies. Our government serves capatalism at the expense of social and environmental concerns.
Every time I see Fabs swooping in with a cheque or announcement I almost throw up. Here's a guy who lost an election as a MP only to have his dear leader Harper give him a senate appointment a few months later. So a guy who was rejected by the people in a fair election gets APPOINTED to represent the people and cashs in on the public payroll, expense accounts, and a golden public pension for life.
Is this the 'good government' we are assured of in the Canadian constitution?
February 24, 2011 at 1:05 AM
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