What's that you say, Mrs. Robinson?
Back in the heady days of the Reform Party, Preston Manning’s gang of merry reformers (with Deceivin’ Steven at his side) were all about Senate reform. Real Senate reform that is, not the tepid window dressing masquerading as Senate reform they’re not peddling.
They were also all about the wacky stunt to call attention to their issues and garner media attention. One such stunt involved the truant Senator, Andrew Thompson. Thompson had a pitifully poor attendance record, claiming poor health, spending most of his time in
The Reformers also latched-onto Thompson as a symbol of all that was wrong with the Red Chamber. In a memorable stunt, they hired a Mariachi band and served burritos in the Senate lobby to draw attention to Thompson’s absenteeism. I even recall Randy White wearing a sombrero and shaking maracas. Still have nightmares actually.
Any-ho, the Senate eventually suspended Thompson and shortly thereafter he resigned.
I’ve embarked on this trip down Reform memory lane not just for fun, but because the Thompson case came to mind when I read this little factoid recently posted by Cerberus:
(Public Works Minister Michael Fortier)'s view on the legitimacy of the Senate can probably be divined from his voting record. He has voted just five times (all on the same day) in 102 sitting days.
Math has never been a strong suit of mine, but that seems to be a vote attendance record of 4.9 per cent. Nearly in Thompson territory. And yet the old Reformers are quiet. No Mariachi Band. No maracas.
Maybe they’ll stop rolling-over for Harper’s sellout of their principles and mockery of everything they stood for after their siestas?
3 comments:
C'mon, cut Fortier some slack. He's much too busy showing his indifference to the 'elected house' to bother being caught in the 'unelected chamber.'
Another example of CONs getting it done for themselves, and doing it to the rest of us...
www.canadianrosebud.blogspot.com
Harper blew his crediblity on the senate in almost his first action as PM when he appointed Fortier.
It's one less card he has to play with now, one of his stronger hands......... gone now!
Maybe could you be interested by this :
We know that many lawyers are correct, but often they don't tell all... Here is an example concerning Minister Michael Fortier and his brother-in-law Me Pierre Delisle :
Lawyer, Senator and Minister Michael Fortier said, about the big federal lawsuit launched to recover our stolen money from Groupaction, Lafleur Communication and others : "We're going to continue to do what's necessary with our lawyers to try to recover all of the money that we believe we're owed," said Public Works Minister Michael Fortier. (Canadian Press, Wed Jun 27, 6:09 PM)
On the other hand, Michael Fortier failed to reveal the following important fact, keeping taxpayers in the dark :
1) PC Minister Michael Fortier, Ottawa, is the brother-in-law of one of the two senior associates of the law firm Pothier Delisle in Quebec and Montreal (recently transformed to Morency Associates), Me Pierre Delisle. (Me Delisle is married to ex-minister Margaret Fortier-Delisle in Charest’s government)
2) This same law firm Pothier Delisle is the one since March 2005 defending Groupaction Marketing Inc., Jean Brault, Gosselin Relations publiques Inc., and Groupaxion Nouveaux Médias Inc. , in the big Federal lawsuit. Minister Michael Fortier is fighting to recover 60,000,000$, while his brother-in-law, until September 2006, time at which he left suddenly his law firm, was and is fighting TO STOP Michael Fortier from recovering the stolen money ! (Quebec Superior Court Number 500-17-024768-056)
3) Moreover, Groupaction, Jean Brault, Lafleur Communication, Gosselin Relations Publique etc., as in the past, continue to have now their companies’ addresses at the exact address of Pothier Delisle (today Morency société d'Avocats), 500 Place d’Armes, suite 2420, Montreal. ( Enterprise Register, https://ssl.req.gouv.qc.ca/slc0110.html )
It is easy to verify the above information but taxpayers cann't imagine it.
Since September 14, 2006, Me Pierre Delisle works with Heenan Blaikie (Quebec-City). His brother-in-law, Senator and Minister Michael Fortier is nominated at Public Works since February 6, 2006, more than 7 months before Me Delisle left Pothier Delisle. Margaret Fortier-Delisle (Minister's sister) did quit politics on February 7, 2007. The law firm Pothier Delisle became Pothier Morency on September 15, 2006. In January 2007, the other co-founder Me Roger Pothier also left the firm which then became Morency société d'Avocats.
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