Tuesday, January 30, 2007

Question Period Face-off

The House of Commons just gave Ken Dryden a lovely tribute during Question Period. Then Dryden proceeded to bumble through a couple of questions, during which time he fell flat on his face (figuratively speaking). He rambled all over the place and talked about believing in what you do or something to that effect.

Monte Solberg scored several quick shots at him. I'll be checking Hansard for the replay.

If anyone comes across a post-game commentary from MSM, please let me know.

Mr. Dryden, you were a great Habs goalie. Why not leave with dignity? Now. Please.

We'll even retire your seat number.


* * * *

We now have the Hansard transcript available. This all follows a standing ovation for Ken Dryden:

Hon. Ken Dryden (York Centre, Lib.):
Mr. Speaker, I thank all members. Last night was a very special night and I can only wish one for everyone some day in their own way.

Some hon. members: Hear, hear!


The Speaker:
We will start the clock now.


Hon. Ken Dryden:
Mr. Speaker, real leadership is not just decisiveness. Most of all, it is direction, and to know a direction, one has to really believe in it, truly believe in it.

The Conservative child care plan, in every way, can only be understood as child care for those who do not believe in child care. It does not work. It cannot work. Why does this government not tell Canadians what it really believes?


Hon. Monte Solberg (Minister of Human Resources and Social Development, CPC):

Mr. Speaker, this government believes in something the previous government did not believe in, which is having faith in parents. We believe in choice. Within five months of forming government, the Conservative Party started to deliver choice in child care. Today, 1.9 million children receive cheques of $100 a month.

Thanks to the vision of this Prime Minister, we are delivering choice for child care. That is what we promised.

* * *


Hon. Ken Dryden (York Centre, Lib.):
Mr. Speaker, this government has offered no choice whatsoever.

Yesterday the Leader of the Opposition asked the Prime Minister three times if he believed in climate change and three times the Prime Minister did not say, would not say. If we are going to meet the challenges of the environment, we have to really believe. It is too big, too hard and too long for simply political believers. [Great grammar there, Ken. Is that a sample of what we can expect from the Ken Dryden Nanny State daycare system? - ed.]

It is the same for child care, literacy, first nations, women and persons with disabilities: we have to believe hard to really get the job done. Does this government--


The Speaker:
The hon. Minister of Human Resources and Social Development.


Hon. Monte Solberg (Minister of Human Resources and Social Development, CPC):
Mr. Speaker, I just want to point out that today in the House we are debating Bill C-36, a bill that will ensure Canadian seniors receive the guaranteed income supplement more easily than they have in the past, a bill that will ensure disabled Canadians will have a chance to receive disability benefits.

Through income splitting, pension splitting, raising the age credit and cutting the GST, we have done more in one year to help seniors than that government did in 13 years.


* * * *

Well, maybe I'm being too hard on Ken. We'll give him a few days grace while his head returns to normal size.

BTW, as Platty pointed out in comments, the exchange between Iggy and Baird was dynamite too. You can view the whole thing at Officially Screwed on YouTube.

Question period is great entertainment! Pass the popcorn and beer, please. Or am I allowed to have ice cream today, Mr. Dryden?

17 comments:

OMMAG said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
OMMAG said...

Ken Is such a Good Liberal though isn't he? nearly an hour of nonstop coverage from the CBC for his official #jersey retirement ceremony with plenty of camera pans to the crowd featuring DiDi and friends!

All liberal all the time that's the CBC.
BTW do not expect any extensive replays of yesterdays non stop embarrassment of the libs during QP.
Read transcript here:

http://www2.parl.gc.ca/HousePublications/Publication.aspx?Language=E&Mode=1&Parl=39&Pub=hansard&Ses=1#OOB-1856970

Anonymous said...

Joanne, I have been a regular reader and commenter and today started my own blog. When you have time, could you take a look and give me your feedback. I still haven't figured out how to the live links within posts. My blog is titled "Crux of the Matter" and the address is: scrux.blogspot.com

Sandy

Anonymous said...

Joanne, that is exactly what I need to know how to do. I clicked and I was immediately here. Thanks

Sandy

Spinks said...

Ah yes, Ken Dryden, awesome goalie, bad politician.

OMMAG said...

Cherniak....who says I was offended! Just noting that the CBC devoted an inordinate amount of time to Dryden's event and paid plenty of attention to the fact that Dion was in attendance!

Another player in another venue would have had 2 minutes on the sports segment of the news broadcast.

Pas exactement comme..........


BTW - I drink Beer and your choice of the word for cursed Maudite is an intersting one...
http://www.unibroue.com/products/maudite.cfm

Pas exactement comme..........but WTF!
My loathing of Dion is as great as my loathing of Cretien before him and I make NO Apologies for it!
Stephane Dion to me is DiDi!

So since you can't get away with cursing people in English you want to try to slide it by Joanne en Francais..??

Anonymous said...

Harper was at a Leaf's game with his son and TSN showed him too much for my liking. I call a holy war against the TSN and their pro-conservative bias.

Platty said...

How about Iggy getting it handed to him by Baird in the house today?

Now that's comedy!!

Joanne (True Blue) said...

So since you can't get away with cursing people in English you want to try to slide it by Joanne en Francais..??

Sacre bleu!

Joanne (True Blue) said...

Platty, the Iggy & Baird exchange was hilarious! I'll transcribe it here:


Mr. Michael Ignatieff (Etobicoke—Lakeshore, Lib.):

Mr. Speaker, members of the NDP say that they support the Kyoto protocol while the government has spent years fighting it. These allies are now partnering to tinker with the clean air act. They say that they support it. Why are they supporting this law? Nothing good can result from this marriage of convenience.

Will the government commit to a plan that honours its Kyoto obligations?


Hon. John Baird (Minister of the Environment, CPC):

Mr. Speaker, in recent years, Canadians became very used to Mr. Dithers, the leader of the Liberal Party. Now we see Liberal members showing up at committee and what we have is Mr. Delay. They want to study it for months. Canadians have had enough of that.

I wanted to look for some wisdom on Kyoto to find out what Kyoto was all about and here is what I found:

"I think our party has got into a mess on the environment. As a practical matter of politics, nobody knows what (Kyoto) is or what it commits us to."

Does the House know who said that? The deputy leader of the Liberal Party said that.


---------------

Now there's a slapshot!

Anonymous said...

Re: Question Period.

I too find it very amusing, but not the latest label the Liberals have hung on the PM: "climate change denier." The first time I heard Mr. Dion say it (Monday Jan 29) I thought it was too close to modelling it on "holocaust denier." Very disturbing. Political analyst L. Ian Macdonald voiced the same doubts yesterday about Mr. Dion's choice of words, confirming my unease.

Mr. Dion cited Dec 2002 as the date when Mr. Harper voted against the Kyoto Accord as proof of his being a "climate change denier." What Mr. Dion leaves out is that Mr. Harper was and still is very concerned about the cost to the economy of complying blindly with Kyoto, and in Dec. 02 the Liberals, the Bloc and the NDP were voting on Kyoto without a costed (is that a word ?) implementation plan.

OMMAG said...

Delusion?
Just checking thanks!

Forward Looking Canadian said...

Man this post was great!

I love QP as well. The sheer theatre of it is awesome and BOY was Iggy nailed by Baird.

I think the CPC was certainly doing its homework over the holidays and is back with a vengence. If anybody in the LPC, NDP or Bloc thought this party would be easy for the kill, they better reevaluate their strategy.

Joanne (True Blue) said...

Gabby, the "denier" label bothers me too. Of course Dion is trying to damage Harper's credibility on the whole file, but there is a huge difference between accepting the concept of climate change vs. accepting the junk science of how much is man-made vs. due to natural causes.

Accepting "climate change" does not automatically mean accepting Kyoto as the solution, and I think that is where the confusion lies for most people.

Just way too much rhetoric and finger-pointing.


Riley - Exactly. Never underestimate Harper.

Anonymous said...

Question period is great entertainment!

You have got to be kidding!

All I see is 308 grown adults without a shred of self-respect.

Joanne (True Blue) said...

All I see is 308 grown adults without a shred of self-respect.

Yeah, Ed. I changed my mind on that one. See today's updated post.

Mac said...

Don't you love how anyone who doesn't want to sign a blank cheque to the almighty Kyoto is instantly labeled a "climate change denier" and denigrated? How ironic especially if you consider what's going on in Europe.