A rchive Date
[ 21-09-2003 ]
Category
[ International Relations ]
sub-Categoy
[ Canada ]
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[http://www.canoe.ca/Columnists/brodbeck.html
Harper wants to have it both ways
By TOM BRODBECK -- Winnipeg Sun
September 21, 2003
It seems that when the vote doesn't go their way, members of the Canadian Alliance no longer consider Parliament the supreme governing body in Canada.
For months the Alliance has been arguing with great passion and vigour that Parliament should not have to play second fiddle to "unelected judges" on the issue of same-sex marriage, or any other issue for that matter. It's not the role of the courts to make social policy, especially when it clashes with the will of elected officials, the Alliance argues.
It's up to members of Parliament, the people elected by Canadians, to make decisions such as who should have the legal right to marry whom, not court of appeal justices, they say.
It all sounds very noble -- until it's put into practice.
Parliament voted last week on the issue of same-sex marriage.
And they rejected a motion by the Alliance to "reaffirm that marriage is and should remain the union of one man and one woman to the exclusion of all others."
The vote was 137 against and 132 for. The Alliance lost the vote. Parliament spoke, democracy prevailed and the Opposition should concede defeat, right?
Wrong. The Alliance didn't like the outcome of the vote so they refuse to accept it. They rejected the will of Parliament, which is exactly what they've been arguing against.
It's sheer hypocrisy. How can you purport to uphold the tenets of democracy and argue the will of Parliament is supreme and then refuse to accept the outcome of a vote -- a free vote -- just because it doesn't go your way? It speaks volumes about the credibility of the Canadian Alliance.
If the vote had gone the other way, you can bet Alliance Leader Stephen Harper would have been front and centre calling on the Liberals to accept "the democratic will of Parliament." He'd be demanding government gut its same-sex marriage bill on the basis of the vote.
In 1999, Parliament voted on a similar motion. The vote was 216-55 in favour of maintaining the traditional definition of marriage. The Alliance has been referring to that vote for months, arguing that it would be wholly undemocratic for the courts to overturn it.
But four years later -- after several court cases, oodles of public debate and a parliamentary committee on the issue -- Parliament changed its mind. It can do that, you know. The definition of marriage is prescribed by a simple act of Parliament. It can be changed by Parliament anytime. It's not in the Constitution. And now, because the vote went the other way, the Alliance doesn't support the will of Parliament anymore.
Why isn't Stephen Harper walking around telling anybody who will listen that "I may not like the outcome of the vote, but Parliament is supreme and it has spoken -- we shall have same-sex marriages"?
Because he's a fake, that's why. He doesn't stand for anything, except for trying to maintain his narrow support in southern Alberta. If he was a true parliamentarian, a real leader, a man of substance, he would say Parliament has spoken and that's democracy.
Instead, he tries to rationalize the vote he lost by arguing, among other things, that had the Liberals not enforced party discipline, the vote would have gone the other way. Oh, sure. Prime Minister Jean Chretien has all kinds of party power right now. The guy's on the way out. He's a lame duck PM. That's why 50 Liberal MPs were able to vote against their own party and supported the Alliance's motion.
In fact, party voting was all over the map (as it should be). You had Liberals, Bloc Quebecois and Tories who voted against the motion. And you had Liberals, Bloc Quebecois and Tories who voted in favour of it. Former Tory leader Joe Clark voted against the motion. Current Tory Leader Peter Mackay supported it. It was a free vote. It was democracy.
And just because the Canadian Alliance didn't like the outcome, they rejected it. And they reject Parliament. Shame on them.
Tom Brodbeck is the Sun's city columnist. He can be reached by e-mail at tbrodbeck@wpgsun.com Letters to the editor should be sent to editor@wpgsun.com
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