Parliament Hill Hell

The Toronto Star characterizes the Tory filibustering that went on Thursday morning in the Environment committee as being 'bizarre'. Au contraire. It shouldn't come to a surprise to anybody who's familiar with how Conservatives, and more specifically this bunch led by Harper, operate when faced with opposition to any of their oh-so-brilliant policies. They shut them up - or try to at least - by any means they can come up with. So, having some obscure Saskatchewan Tory MP spout off procedural nonsense for two hours out of the fear of the words Kyoto Protocol isn't 'bizarre' at all. It's SOP (Standard Operating Procedure). Their so-called Clean Air act is so absolutely useless and laughable that it thankfully has no hope of being passed, but Dear Leader Harper will hear none of that.

It was quite a feisty day on the hill with the opposition leaders gathering for a news conference to take shots at Steve:

Bloc Quebecois Leader Gilles Duceppe said the Tories are worse in government than the Liberals because they're not only arrogant, but incompetent as well.

"I would say they're paralyzing themselves," Duceppe told a news conference.

"(Stephen) Harper was telling us — Jack and I — at the time we were in opposition that the Liberals were arrogant in not speaking to us.

"He's doing worse than them. And since they have almost no experience in the House, they're worse than the Liberals in the procedures because they're acting like amateurs."

NDP Leader Jack Layton also blamed Harper.

"He has an arrogant and controlling attitude to his caucus, to the media, to the Canadian public, and also to the representatives (in opposition) of a majority of the Canadian people.

"This is why we're seeing a logjam in the House of Commons. There is no desire on the part of his government to work with other parties."

He suggested it's about time for an election to solve the deadlock.

Yeah, well maybe you two leaders should have thought of that before you decided to join forces with the Tories to call an election to defeat the previous Liberal government. You're having buyer's remorse now? Would you like some cheese with that whine?

Prime Minister Stephen Harper accused the opposition Thursday of being "anti-democratic" — even as the Liberals offered an olive branch by agreeing to pass more than half of Harper's proposed tough-on-crime bills.

Liberal Leader Bill Graham bridled at the accusation:

"If the prime minister wants to find the problem with his legislative agenda has he tried to take a look in his own mirror?," Graham told the House of Commons.

"Will the prime minister drop his pre-electoral posturing and start acting like a party and a prime minister that acts for all Canadians?"

You're kidding, right Bill? Why do you hate Canada, Bill?

The only party that's 'anti-democratic' in Ottawa Steve is yours. You don't allow your MPs to speak on behalf of their constituents. The only way you know to defend your policies is to attack the opposition (and no wonder, since your agenda is so bloody lame). You think you can strong arm Canadians into buying what you're selling, continually forgetting that only some 36% of my countrymen voted for you and you believe your word is gospel to be revered as if it's been handed down to you from on high. (Preston Manning is no longer God, Steve).

You have no idea what the word 'compromise' means. Your Treasury Board pit bull is so incompetent that he has to read newspaper quotes during Question Period to answer queries because he has no idea how to do anything other than inflate his own ego. Your Foreign Affairs minister is a lying, misogynist embarassment. Your female Heritage minister is only there to push the agenda of the so-called REAL women, who would rather set women's rights back 50 years than wake up and smell the new century. Your Environment minister is a joke. Your Public Works minister is the Invisible Man.

And on and on it goes...and then you wonder why you can't get anything done.

What a farce.

Don't get too comfortable at 24 Sussex Drive, Steve. It's just a pit stop.