I say, once they get fired or leave the party affiliation they should have no rights to continue to feed on public funds—monthly salaries, travel and housing allowance, or any allowance for that matter. They should be considered done away with.
By Suresh Kurl
Historically to date, several Members of Legislative Assemblies, Members of Parliament and Senators have changed their aligiance by crossinmg the floor. When that happens, some people call such elected public representatives ‘opportunists’, while others name them, ‘turn-coats’.
You remember David Lee Emerson and Belinda Caroline Stronach. Emerson conveniently jumpped the beached Liberal ship to board the spanking new Conservative yatcht, and Ms. Stronach chose to sit with Liberals, when she did not fancy Harperites any longer. Sir Winston Churchil, whenever he found it convenient, turned his coat inside out three times; from Conservative to Liberal and back to Conservative.
BC MLA John Van Dongen seems have plagiarized Anne Clare Cools word for word. She the longest serving Senators crossed the floor three times—Liberal-to-Conservative-to-Independent. Recently, whole bunch of Senators switched their alligiance to feed their self-intetrests declaring themselves Independent.
If these senators were elected representatives they might have certainly faced some heavy duty consequences. They might have thrown out in the next election. Public hated the blue on red Mr. Emerson so much he did not dare seek the next election. And Mr. Van Dongen encountered the same consequences. You cannot take ridings for a free ride.
Since senators are elected representatives, they easily escape public revenge therefore, they are rarely consequenced. When they find themselves in sticky soup, they throw off the party cover of control, change their aligience to themselves, and become “Independent”, however, continue to draw salaries and benefits like water from public well. Not a bad gig!
I confess, until Senator Patrick Brazeau, Mike Duffy, Pamela Wallin, Mac Harb, Raymond Lavigne and ‘siesta senator’ Andrew Thompson, blew the lid of my patience, I had never given a thought to senate appointments. Now, I know they have been robbing us, the hard-working-tax-paying citizens of this contry. I have reached the stage of complete intolerance that only a total abolition of senate will feel good.
It stings to think that a majority of Senate appointments are based on loyalty of the appointee to the ruling party, not his or her ability to offer his sober second thought in the best interest of the country. If that were the case, we would not have had individuals like Mr. Brazeau or Duffy or Thompson. They obviously do not appear to be blessed with the consescience that generats sober second thoughts, feelings and behaviours in the best interest of the country.
Given the diplorable behaviours of these Senators, it is obvious that they are fiscally much too expensive to maintain, much too indisciplined to work with, much too dishonest and much too dark inside to be fiscally transparent. Once appointed, they forget that tax payers are their real employers, not the government. The government is only a trusty of public tax dollar.
Instead, when they are confronted to explain why their hands were in the cookie jar, they try to escape through the kitchen doors, try to cover their faces or growl, “What is the matter with you people.” If the heat keeps going up, they make a move. They get out of the kitchen and cross the floor to Independence.
I say, once they get fired or leave the party affiliation they should have no rights to continue to feed on public funds—monthly salaries, travel and housing allowance, or any allowance for that matter. They should be considered done away with.
I don’t suffer fools. I know neither is the Senate going to be abolished, nor is it going to be elected, equal and efficient in my life time. Constitutional debates and negotiations are complex. They take time to conclude. So, all I ask as a tax payer is that it be thoroughly tightened up from top to bottom fiscally and ethically, which the Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau is proposing to do. I hope he means what he is proposing.
Secondly, until the Senate is amended to abolished no senator should be allowed to sit as Independent. No employee once he quits his alligiance to his employer is ever allowed to run an independent business out of his employer’s property. If he resigns or get fired, he is considered “Gone”. I see senators in the same boat. Duffy and his kind ought to be considered “Gone”.
