Layton joins call for probe of vote-buying claims

NDP Leader Jack Layton is joining calls from Bloc Quebecois Leader Gilles Duceppe for the RCMP to investigate allegations of vote-buying on Parliament Hill.

"Naturally we have concerns about any conversation that suggests or even begins to discuss even the remotest of possibilities explicit or otherwise that there would be positions available or not available in exchange for votes. That is the kind of thing that causes real consternation amongst Canadians," Layton said, according to The Globe and Mail.

snip

He released a segment of an audio recording he said proved Liberals were trying to woo defectors with deals.

Since then, the Conservatives have refused to release the full tapes that Grewal has referred to.

more

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/1116695372452_3/?hub=Canada

(CTV is also reporting that Grewal and his wife are now 'no longer to be found', lol. It seems they have gone into 'seclusion' which makes it very interesting, imo.)

No matter how this matter turns out, it can't hurt him or the New Democrats.

If the Liberals are clean (this time), his party continues to hold to balance of power.

If the Liberals aren't so clean, the New Democrats will stand to pick up votes and maybe some seats at the Liberals' expense.

it needs to be investigated. If Grewal is telling the truth, although that is looking less likely given the faux Cons won't release the whole tape, the Liberals have to be held accountable and if Grewal was lying that, too, must be made public.

Layton is proving himself to be a very astute politician, able to make principled decisions that also showcase his party as a potential alternative to to the Liberals. I find myself being more and more impressed at his skills.

Edited to correct typo.

. . . when one is standing next to Martin and Harper.

but we need to add Duceppe to that and take it from a duo to a parody of 'The Three Amigos'.

He knows what he wants. He knows that Harper wants to be Prime Minister. He thinks he can make Harper Prime Minister.

And if he succeeds in that, for what is he going to ask in return? Independence for Quebec? Then what does Harper say? If he says no, Duceppe and the Bloc can make life miserable for Harper. If he says yes, Duceppe's party leaves Parliament as Quebec leaves the Dominion and Harper still can't hold a confidence vote. He probably wouldn't do too well in the ensuing election, either.

Either way, Harper seems to be making a barain with the Devil. And the Devil is assured of getting his soul in the end.

he is seen as opportunist, someone who will sell his vote to the highest bidder if it can help his separatist cause. In some ways, he is seen as the mirror image of Harper, both would destroy Canada.

However, while Harper, like Bush, would destroy his country through a misguided idealism, Duceppe would destroy Canada by taking Quebec out of it.

For Duceppe, selling his vote to promote his separatist cause would seem a perfectly rational thing to do. He doesn't really care who is the Prime Minister of Canada; he wants to be Prime Minster of the Republic of Quebec.

of Quebec.

hahahaha.

If you have any chance to hear Duceppe speak in French, even if you don't understand French, give it a shot.

For some reason I can't figure out, his speaking voice in English is a horrible nasal whine, while in French it is quite pleasant. I mean, we all sound different when we speak someone else's language, and I'm sure I sound a little thick in French even though I operate at a high level of bilingualism, but he just sounds horrible in English.

I'm sure that this colours how anglophones in the Rest of Canada perceive him, to some degree. It's like listening to your kid demanding a cookie when you've already said no -- so the tone of voice in which the message is delivered goes all too well with the very simplistic, unsophisticated and distorted meaning that the listeners have already ascribed to the message.

Duceppe and some of his caucus could run intellectual circles around just about any of their Parliament Hill colleagues of any party, actually.

Harper's definition of government is that is is the problem. It is not the historical definition of the Canadian Conservatives. He comes from the University of Calgary which parallels the Chicago University in the outlook of business vs. government. Thus his idea of a better country is for the feds to remove themselves and turn over power(taxation) powers for a lot of areas to the provinces. As the provinces already have most of the power this would tend to neuter the feds. This is fine for the Bloc.

One has to understand the view that Quebec has of Canada to understand what are some of the driving forces. There are many in Quebec who understand that Canada was a joining together of two Nations. They were Quebec and Ontario. Or at that time Lower Canada and Upper Canada, which eventually evolved into Canada.
Conveniently the English speaking parts of Canada have adopted the attitude that they, Quebeckers lost the war, and Canada is English.

So they seem to have common objectives, in so far as reducing the power of the federal government would strengthen the power of the provinces.

So they seem to have common objectives, in so far as reducing the power of the federal government would strengthen the power of the provinces.

And that's why *I* voted No to Meech.