Mr. Speaker, thoughtful Canadians are shocked as they watch the Prime Minister drive the House of Commons to the basement level of relevance.
He is using this great institution as his toy. In a fit of petulance the Prime Minister has advanced the prospect of a general election to regain control of his fractious backbench. The unmitigated arrogance of his cabinet knows no bounds. His labour minister said, “Could we win an election with this Prime Minister? Tomorrow morning we could, look at his record”.
Well let us look at his record. He has terminated debate, shut up members of Parliament, and treated Liberal backbenchers as mindless voting machines more often than any Prime Minister in the history of Canada.
Issues like Kyoto ratification and health care are on this Parliament's agenda, but I fear the rubber stamp he expects from us. The Prime Minister's petulant outburst is an embarrassment to all of us who take democracy seriously. He has lost control of his party and the moral authority to continue to govern.
Why does he not do the honourable thing and leave, now?