All tremble before the relentless political neutrality of the Canadian Press!
OTTAWA — Broadcaster Mike Duffy, his former colleague Pamela Wallin and Olympic hero Nancy Greene are among 18 Conservatives headed to the Senate in Stephen Harper’s biggest volley of patronage since he became prime minister.
Party stalwarts Irving Gerstein, Suzanne Duplessis and defeated Newfoundland MP Fabian Manning are among the other prominent Conservatives going into the upper House.
There is no more sought-after patronage pork than a Senate seat and Harper and his ministers were inundated by Conservatives clamouring for a favour.
Appointees will receive a $134,000 annual salary indexed to inflation until they retire or reach age 75, followed by a very comfortable pension – and both are indexed to inflation.
Harper has always believed senators should be elected and he refrained from filling most vacancies while trying to make the upper chamber more democratic. Those efforts ran into roadblocks erected in Parliament and by Ontario and Quebec.
Liberal-affiliated senators had occupied 58 of the seats, while 20 were held by Conservatives.
Note that in their never-ending pursuit of journalistic diligence, the CP neglects to include the full list of names…
A partisan report, about partisan actions. Same old grease – Chicago style.
Besides, even if the report was less partisan, you still can’t polish a turd.
Ted you a$$hat
we cons don’t forget these things, remember the 93 election
why don’t you compare apples to apples, or were there SO many brown envelopes that you are unable to count that high?
Harper is playing politics, and is proving better at it that you lieberals, must really pi$$ you off. Now that the senate reward is shut down you lieberals fools had better start donating so’s the coalition of fools have something to put in those brown envelopes so’s they can BUY favours
Niall Mor ;
You took my comments away. (O:}
Like you, I’m sick & tired of these bloated no nothing’s getting cinctures’ for life. From misleading the public for so many years. They are part of the corruption in Ottawa, not its balm.
Where was the MSM while Chrétien with his cronies, stole Canada blind? It goes on & on this merry go round of back scratching. Its Canadians in the end that lose. Just like where buying a car none of us will see, to bail out workers who will not compromise for their own jobs, or with there Nepotistic Management counting their 20,000,000 a year bonus‘s. After all their entitled to their entitlements as well.
Wasn’t it Pamela Wallin who refused to Interview the official opposition leader Preston Manning, or Alliance leader Stockwell Day in conjunction with Barbara Frum? Between them they sandboxed the reform Party from the public. These will be conservative reform Senators? Yeah right. I told people the choices will reflect his true intentions. You guys decide if this is a reform Senate? Personally I don’t see it.
All though I do agree he had to make the appointments.
“Harper had held off filling the appointments, in hopes of Senate reform bills passing in the last couple of years, but neither the opposition nor most provinces agreed to his proposals for fixed-term limits of eight years or electing senators.”
From a nice little Canwest article… He had numerous empty seats but held off until this latest threat… can you imagine the Coalition doling out the seats instead?
“Harper’s move angered New Democratic Party MP David Christopherson who calculated the 18 new senators would reap about $50 million in pay and perks over their eight-year appointments, while some of his Hamilton, Ont., constituents face unemployment and can barely afford Christmas presents.”
As for that asshat, all I can say is since you will never elect a government through the normal process you should be supporting senate reform! Stupid NDP for supporting the Liberals… count the number of senators claiming NDP allegiance… one and only one, and appointed by Paul Martin, probably in payment for the NDP support of his tottering government back in ’05.
“‘Patronage for retiring or defeated Lieberal candidates and various other hangers-on was dispensed on scale unprecedented in recent memory’ (Meisel 1981). These included ‘at least 200 of the Order-In-Council appointments and no fewer than 59 judges’, all of whom were former Liberal candidates or spouses of the same. Meisel notes that as well the ‘blatant’ electoral purpose for which appointments were used: the appointment and therefore ‘neutralization’ of non-Liberals to the Senate and the Canadian Grain Commission. As well, ‘electoral opportunities were enhanced through wholesale appointments to the International Joint Commission, the National Parole board, the National Energy Board, the Immigration Appeal board and the Canadian Pension Commission, and similar bodies’.” – Aucoin
Clearly, the scumbag Liberals thought so little of the country that they were even willing to damage/taint the Canadian justice system thru their selfish swilling at the public trough.
The Toronto Star’s Jim Travers is on CKNW right now [http://cknw.com] attacking Stephen Harper and most all of the Senate appointments.
I’d respect him … IF he criticized the Liberals the same way. Why do I think that he has never uttered a word when Liberal PMs made Senate appointments?!?
“cant get over the amount of Disrespectful comments towards Duffy on the G&M’s comment board re: these appt’s
Some are just plain disgusting ref: Duffy’s weight”
Well, how about There’s no whore like an old whore.
Hannibal Lecher:
Imitating my handle does nothing but make me hungry.
Sincerely,
HL
Surely Andrew Potter must have something vaguely humanoid to say about the Duffster’s appointment?
Heil Harper!
It’s an ugly thing to watch senate appointments of any kind, but it exists and Harper would be foolish to ignore it. Every step like this is a step closer to the normalization of a conservative government, and the libs drift a little farther away from being the Natural Governing Party.
Besides, isn’t it fun to watch liberal pissants get self-righteous?
And revenant dream, I can’t resist guessing: “cinctures” is supposed to be “sinecures”?
Pamela Wallin to our senate, as a Conseravtive ?
No shi* !!
Brain Mulroney was correct in his assessment about Brian Mackasey and old whores. the senate, etc.
Course the NDP will not worry about the hundreds of thousands of instant Canadians who get affirmative action who show up yearly and who this 71,000 will have to contend with.
Save your crocodile tears Christopherson.
I had the misfortune this afternoon to hear on the car radio that old trough-wallowing swiller, Senator Sharon Carstairs, bad mouthing Mr. Harper for making appointments to the Senate while Parliament was prorogued. Funny she didn’t have anything to say about the appointments made by her idol, the Cretch.
There is nothing “honorable” about the Canadian political culture. It is sports event…winning is more important than principle,always! Harper is just invoking the tactics that the liberals were always so good at.
We in Saskatchewan have seen this movie before. A large majority was won by a “conservative” government in 1982. No similarity in that but the approach so called conservative premier Divine took towards the left was to cozy up to them, naming liberals (red torys)into his cabinet…(giving him plenty of bad advice), as judges, running up the debt, befriending the press…which was like petting a rattle snake, it was just a matter of time and he would be bit.
It is very demoralizing to the Conservative base and eventually they will stay home or start another movement or party. The West certainly has a history of that.
I think there’s a bit of misunderstanding here. Duffy and Wallin are openly liberal. They were thrown in as balance, which is the fair thing to do. Harper is simply offering a token.
Duffy might be liberal, but I’m pretty sure he’ll be a stickler for protocol and tradition. He’s been studying it longer than most people.
wyatt salt :
Correct
Stephen Taylor has the list of the 18 appointments on his website.
I’m disappointed that Chief Clarence Louie wasn’t appointed, but apparently he isn’t into federal politics.
I have to agree with some of the posters above; CTV’s Mike Duffy does seem to be fair. I’ll never forget him blasting Scott “beer and popcorn, kill him (Harper) kill him dead” Reid – on air – when Reid apparently tried to cajole him into saying things on CTV that made the CPC look bad.
That was classic TV!
Senator Carstairs? Is she still around? I thought she OD’ed on a cylinder of helium.
I for one am glad Manning got in for NL. He took the full brunt of the ABC campaign, was originally kicked out of Danny’s provincial cabinet for questioning the Rhodes Scholar and was sandbagged by the pathetic Evening Telegram the day before the advance polls were to open in NL.
The man didn’t complain about not getting a fair shake from anyone and wouldn’t throw Harper under the bus like the media and Danny thought they would be able to get him to do. He hung in there and took it, everywhere he went he stood there and took all their crap.
Just knowing that he has all the @sshats down there frothing at the mouth makes me grin from ear to ear.
Merry Christmas Fabian
Of course Liz May weighs in over on her “blog” http://www.greenparty.ca/en/contact/staff about how Mike Duffy hurt her feelings and then rails away against Harper.
I’ll bet she would appreciate some emails to let her know what we think of her!
leader@greenparty.ca
Patrick Brazeau is a good pick. He’s got a good website. He’s a conservative native, so you won’t see him on the CBC or CTV though he’s been on CPAC a few times.
Will Jim Travesty of the Star have his regularity scheduled column tomorrow or will he be in bed with the flu since he missed getting a senate seat?
Ever get the feeling that Harper picked Duffy and Wallin just to pi$$ off Turkey Neck, Travesty and Stronach’s puppy Don Martin?
Sharon Carstairs!!!Gawd that brings up some scary memories. She was my grade 12 Social Studies teacher in Calgary during the heady days of Trudeaumania. Her father was a Lieberal senator. She paraded him around the school (St. Francis) on a few ocassions. Her class was more of a political indoctrination rather than actually teaching something useful. Fortunately some of us grew up and developed our thought processes. Slightly off topic, sorry.
As for Harper, he’s stuck beteween a rock and a hard place but is bright enough to walk around the rock. Good choices all around if not a bit controversial.
Alberta Girl, the Lizzie May blog piece you shared with us should be a must read for SDA readers, as well as every psychologist on the planet!
Two things immediately come to mind:
1. If a Radical Leftist accuses someone of being “biased”, what precisely does that translate into in English? Perhaps “center of the road & sane”?
2. How rich is the irony that Queen Lizzie May is criticizing the appointment of Mike Duffy when she, who has done NOTHING positive for this country, but was entirely ready to accept a Senate seat from Monsieur Dion and the Video Professor merely for mouthing a few words of support for them? Vancouver’s despicable ex-mayor, Larry Campbell, pulled such a trick for Paul Martin and look what it got him.
January’s going to be fun, watching Lizzie May and countless Liberal MPs mouthing off about the senate seats. I truly wish a reporter would ask one of them, “How precisely do you keep your hypocrisy from staining your clothes when you utter so much ‘dirty’ hot air from your front orifice?”
My take on Oliver,Taber,and Mansbridge on these appointments. They will all criticize the ‘bully’ and his flip-flopping,partisan ways. They will not say anything about the facts,it will just be an attack…. Oliver has gone way past the point of caring if he gets a senate position,he is happy if he wakes up in a dry bed in a familiar room… Taber will be upset,very upset. She KNOWS,she just KNOWS,that she is more deserving than that bitch Wallin, the scars on Janie’s knees are the proof…Mansbridge will shrug it off,he knows that a senate seat is piffle.His eyes are on the GG’s ass as it walks out the door.
I just strolled on over to Lizzie May’s site,thanks Alberta girl and RW,. Lizzie is,and always will be amusing. These are her words,” The normal latitude for asking for a re-ask, and a chance to get a taped interview right, is generally quite generous”.Ahh,Lizzie,no it isn’t…You may get a lot of chances because ,well,you are a twit,and the media follow interesting twits,but in the real world where the sky is BLUE,and people work for a living,neither you or Steffi should recieve any advantage over anyone else. You two are the runts of the litter that the emotional pull for,but reality sets in and for the good of the rest,you will fade away into a gentle sleep. So STFU.
Wally, your dual posts of hilarity will keep me laughing for a few days!!!
I would have sworn Pamela Wallin was known as an NDP supporter?
“What people who were elected – Alberta is the ONLY province to have senate elections and Bert Brown was the ONLY appointment prior to this slate.”
AB Girl, I’m assuming you mean that Bert was the only one Harper appointed from AB to date. Of course Stan Waters(R) was the first elected senator to be appointed to the senate.
“Duff what a great pick could not happen to a better Canadian in my opinion.
Posted by: Momorider at December 22, 2008 2:10 PM”
I second that! Mike Duffy would be my FIRST choice, journalist or not.
He’s a great Canadian.
I have never gotten the impression that Duff favours Conservatives. Rather, he has been one of very few journalists to try to be fair-minded and treat everyone graciously. If he seems Conservative to others, I suspect it is because he is more balanced (rather than left-leaning) than most. I think he will make an excellent Senator — he won’t be a cypher like most. Having said that, I’ll bet he will miss being a journalist.
“Having said that, I’ll bet he will miss being a journalist.
Posted by: LindaL at December 23, 2008 4:13 AM ”
Yeah right.At about 4 times the pay,and only 70 days/year work as a “Senator”,he’ll miss the good old days of journalism.Are all you people stupid,or just dumb? The only good thing Duffy has ever done,is save the guy at MacD’s from asking him if wants that supersized.It’s a given he does!
Being a senator will very likely be a pay cut for Duffy. I wonder how long the media will continue to trash Pamela Wallin as a “former broadcaster”. She’s been an active member of Canada’s foreign diplomatic corps for quite a few years now. Arguably, she’s better qualified to sit in the senate than Iggy is to lead the Liberals, and light years ahead of May on any level.
The senate does a tremendous amount of committee work, which is the underpinning of parliament’s knowledge base. Many of these people have been chosen not for what they can contribute sitting on their butts in the upper house, but what they bring to the committee tables.
I sent this note to Elizabeth May:
Ms May
Your windy comments about Senator Duffy sound like the diary venting of a grade ten student rather than the thoughtful comment one might expect from the leader of a national political party.
Your lack of propriety—your disrespectful behaviour toward the Prime Minister of Canada during the debates was a disgrace—is a serious drawback to your party: I would say it’s probably why the Green Party still has no seats—including in your own riding. I do not support your party in any way and am glad to see it in the wilderness, where it fully deserves to be. So, some unbiased advice to you: how about showing some gravitas, manners, and grace for a change?
I guess you’ll disagree, but I will miss Mike Duffy’s quite fair approach: it was about the only commentary on the MSM that even tried to give a semblance of balance. I do understand your pique at Senator Duffy: you and your ilk are given a free ride on the other, all left-wing, all the time shows, and he actually had the audacity—and sense of professionalism—to give you a run for your money: just what journalists are supposed to do, unless you’ve forgotten. (Conservative politicians and commentators are used to the third degree, which they endure on a regular basis form the overwhelmingly left-wing MSM: they suck it up and get on with it. You might try such fortitude sometime.)
Prime Minister Harper has made a prudent political choice in adding a few more non Liberals to an already stacked Senate: in my opinion, far better Michael Duffy than you in the upper house. Ms May, you win some, you lose some. With the MSM and a whole lot of other decks (on our dime) most definitely stacked against us, I think it’s about time to see my side, c/Conservative in this country, win a few. Hey, that’s politics!
Merry Christmas!
how can P Wallen speak for Sask. when she doesn’t live here
When will Pamala give up her 10 million dollar government funded Park Ave apt?
Who will move in when she moves out.
Will Pamala now be a triple dipper at the trough or put her snout in 4 times?
Ted, Philboyd, thanks for the hypocritical “analysis.” It’s laughable to hear “critcs” blast Harper’s Senate appointments, when they would, and have, done precisely the same thing.
I guess the argument is “we can be corrupt cronies, but Mr Harper you said you wouldn’t, but according to our ‘analysis’ you are just as slimy as we are.”
Good point, you should sieze power.
Yeah right, that argument is right up there with “we don’t need to ask the Canadian people, in an election, who they want as government. No, it’s ‘decided’ that 62% voted for our coalition (that’s a BIG majority right?), even though we would get creamed if an election we’re held now.”
Nope, no hypocrisy there. Get it straight moonbats, you will not be seizing power anytime soon, with our without an election. Mr Harper is the PM and appointing Senators, despite your joke of an argument that he is going down.
If your fellow moonbats in parliament are stupid enough to defeat the government next month, there will be an election, no doubt. Then you can run against the Senate appointments while you explain why you tried to run away from, indeed around, the Canadian electorate.
IOW, up yours.
The long tradition of appointing media hacks to plumb gov’t gigs continues. It’s a proven method used by all parties to give them control over ambitious media types who covet a gov’t sinecure. It also draws into question media ethics and impartiality.
Can anybody please clarify? Was it Chretien or Martin who ignored Albertan’s election choice and appointed the piano player Tommy Banks to the senate for the Liberals?