Regular readers of this blog will know that I have no particular use for Rex Murphy. Yet last night I found myself in total agreement with him as he offered an eloquent rebuke of Harper's Bill C-51 by praising NDP leader Thomas Mulcair's opposition to it. You can watch his reasons below:
I am truly surprised.
ReplyDeleteAs was I, Owen.
DeleteWe the people of Canada, take great pride in being Canadian. We have faith in our country and our constitution. We stand together as a nation, now and forever. We believe in our charter of rights and freedoms and will not have them compromised by any outside forces or inside forces, including our own government. If changes are to be made to our charter, then they should be made according to Canadian law and by the supreme court of Canada. No government should make these changes whether they are in majority government or otherwise, without referendum. These rights are guaranteed by previous legislation and should not be altered. Trudeau and the Liberal Party had my vote but they lost it due to their stance on Bill C51. I guess it is the NDP or The Green Party for me this coming federal election.
ReplyDeleteWhile I agree with much of what you say here, Anon, I am not sure I necessarily subscribe to the use of referenda. While such may be called for in certain situations, any change to our constitution has some pretty stiff requirements already.
DeleteThat being said, I will freely admit that what I said only really applies to a healthy and fully-functional democracy, something that we obviously don't enjoy in Canada right now. Let us hope, however, that some of that can be remedied by the citizens by a vigorous and informed participation in the next election. After all, your referendum proposal is premised on an informed citizenry. Can we demand no less in general elections?