[WHOOPS: As a commenter points out, Vellacott is not a cabinet minister, he's the "Chair for the House of Commons Standing Committee for Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development." My bad.]
And, one at a time, we'll be treated to a spectacle of CPC cabinet ministers [or chair appointees -- Ed.] who are so unbelievably fucking stupid, they shouldn't be allowed outside without adult supervision (emphasis added):
The Supreme Court of Canada has taken the unusual step of challenging a Conservative MP over false claims about Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin.
The comments from Saskatchewan MP Maurice Vellacott, which he later said were inaccurate, will likely cost him his new job as chairman of the House aboriginal affairs committee.
Bloc Leader Gilles Duceppe said yesterday that in light of Mr. Vellacott's comments about the court, his party would support a motion of no-confidence in Mr. Vellacott from the Liberals that will be voted on by members of the aboriginal affairs committee tomorrow. The NDP has also pledged to support the motion, meaning it will pass and Mr. Vellacott will likely have to resign in favour of another Conservative MP.
Any bets on who's next? I vote Rona Ambrose, whose ignorance is exceeded only by her arrogance. And that's no mean feat.
WHAT THE HELL? When exactly did someone replace the Progressive Bloggers with Folger's Crystals to see if anyone would notice the difference? I refer to this allegedly "progressive" blogger:
Vellacott Remains Target of Smear Campaign
Maurice Vellacott needs help. He represents a stereotypical Reform/Alliance member within the acting Conservative government. Attacks upon his person are not justified and should not be tolerated without a rigourous defence on his behalf. What is actually at the core of these most recent charges against him is that he happens to be an evangelical Christian pastor.
Nooooooo .... what's at the core is that he's an ignorant, lying, Bible-thumping piece of crap masquerading as a human being. There's a difference.
Everyone of the Christian faith whose beliefs firmly honour the sanctity of life, the dignity of civil unions between husband and wife, and a committment to compassionate humanitarian policies; the foundation upon which this country was founded, is under fire.
Bye, PBs. It's been fun having you on the blogroll but if I wanted to link to the Blogging Tories, I know where to find them.
FUN WITH WEASEL WORDS: I'm still chuckling over Vellacott's pathetic, weaselly attempt at a clarification. There's Vellacott's original statement (emphasis added);
"Beverley McLachlin herself actually said that when they step into [a judicial activist] role, all of a sudden there's some mystical kind of power that comes over them by which everything they ever decreed is not to be questioned and they actually have these discerning and almost prophetic abilities to be able to come and know the mind of the public and they take on almost these godlike powers. She said that herself. I didn't say that."
Followed by the most amazing tap dancing:
Mr. Vellacott issued a statement saying he was referring to a lecture Chief Justice McLachlin gave in New Zealand on Dec. 1. "I may have given the impression that in the speech she expressly said that she had 'god-like powers.' I acknowledge that Ms. McLachlin did not literally use those words," the release said.
"In summary, when I claimed that 'she said that herself,' I'm sorry if anyone got the impression that I was suggesting that she, you know, actually, literally used the words that I claimed she used."
So when I suggest that Maurice Vellacott should be dragged by his heels out into the parking lot and beaten unconscious with a tire iron, I literally mean that. Well, except for the bit about the heels. And the parking lot. And the tire iron. Just in case I might have left that impression.
9 comments:
Justice Beverley McLachlin, does behave as if she knows all.
Have your read her past statements?
She is left leaning, as far as I can see. The comment was not that bad.
People have to really watch themselves when they talk to the media. You will get lead the way the journalist wants his/her story to go.
I have been interviewed several times in my life, the CBC and Winnipeg Sun were the worst.
I think this has gone over the top, its a non issue.
Vellacott has a track record of stupid statements on one topic or another.
His statements regarding McLachlin demonstrate the classical CPC ignorance regarding the role, powers and rulings of the Supreme Court in this nation.
Why aren't more people complaining about Rona? I mean, without an environmental platform, she must be sitting there twiddling her thumbs. She will be busy these next couple weeks shredding all the environment canada documents, but afer that what will she have to do?
I think she's wasting taxpayers money.
Great post CC!
Wayne: Madame Justice Beverley McLachlin is an ethical relativist. She doesn't lean left at all, unless you consider the Charter of Rights and Freedoms a left leaning document.
Vellacott on the other hand, is exactly as CC described him. In fact he's a leading example of why Canada needs early childhood development programs... with no age limit... something he could stay in for the rest of his life.
"Why aren't more people complaining about Rona?"
She's an immense bit of background ocular relief whenever the camera is aimed to that side of the House during Question Period.
Eye candy. It's not just for right-wing "pundits" any more.
dveej:
The CPC has been throwing around the "judicial activism" card for years.
Of course, it's mostly done in ignorance, and few of the people that have claimed that have ever sat down and read the rulings they bitch about in the context of the laws of the land.
So by "CPC cabinet minister" you must mean the opposite - since Vellacott isn't in Cabinet.
It's almost like old Vellacott read the Western Standard's piece on Bevy and then actually managed to take Ezra Levant one step further. That in itself is an accomplishment, so he really perhaps should be promoted. To be more right wing than the rightest of the right takes discipline and hard work. I feel really comfortable having a man with that kind of orientation representing aboriginal affiars. Given that he undoubtably reads the Western Standard, he probably caught the opinion piece about how Ralph Klein's wife should get out of politics and go back to being an Indian.
To comment on Bevy - SHE IS THE CHIEF JUSTICE OF THE SUPREME COURT. Who cares if she behaves as if she knows it all - which is a bit of an unsubstantiated stretch to put it gently. She is the highest authority on the law in the country. She knows more about the law than you, or I or anyone else. If you can really say you know more about the law than she does, than you can charge her with being a know-it-all. It takes the wind right out of your sails when she really does know it all. At any rate, I disagree with her judgements about 90% of the time but what I will say is that she sure knows a whole hell of a lot more than I do.
I've read several of the more "controversial" rulings to come out of the Supreme Court in recent years.
Although I am not a lawyer (and no doubt miss some of the nuances as a result), the rulings have been consistently logical and rooted in the foundations of Canadian law, both written and case precedent.
The constant refrain from the Reich Wing of "Judicial Activism" is largely an unsubstantiated crock. It's really a code phrase for "I don't like the ruling".
The best example being the "swinger's club" ruling this past year. Basically the judges said that no law had been broken. Nothing is stopping the legislators from making a law against such a club per se (the court has yet to rule that something is impossible, only that certain laws are inconsistent with other laws in the country)
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