XPost: can.politics, ont.politics, bc.politics   
   From: gregcarrsober@gmail.com   
      
   On 01/02/2014 5:48 PM, ConɀƦConɀ wrote:   
   > No bloody wonder the Harper Cons and the Justin Liberals have been   
   > supporting each other in the House over the years . . . both parties   
   > have a propensity to kill and eat their own.   
   >   
   > You BET that Justin caught wind of some more of his Liberal senators   
   > about to be hung over 'senate expenses fraud'. He wants to get upwind of   
   > those investigations before they become his albatross. What a way to win   
   > the respect and admiration of current Liberal MPs and future MP   
   > candidates. The guy with the good hair and nice smile knows how to play   
   > dirty - with his own party members.   
   >   
   > ___________________________   
   > Published: January 31, 2014 - THE CANADIAN PRESS   
   >   
   >   
   > Liberal MPs seek to remove senators from party constitution   
   >   
   > OTTAWA — Liberal members of Parliament are seeking to formally sever   
   > ties with the scandal-plagued Senate by having all references to   
   > senators removed from the party’s constitution.   
   >   
   > Liberal leader Justin Trudeau announced this week that he was dumping 32   
   > senators from the Liberal caucus in an effort to eliminate partisanship   
   > and patronage, and return the upper chamber to its original purpose as a   
   > place of sober second thought.   
   >   
   > But the Liberal party constitution still lists senators as members of   
   > caucus, as well as automatic delegates at party conventions. It also   
   > says there is supposed to be at least one senator always sitting on a   
   > powerful internal committee that helps develop Liberal election   
   > platforms, though the party said there hasn’t been an active senator on   
   > the committee in some time.   
   >   
   > Deputy Liberal leader Ralph Goodale said removing all mentions of   
   > senators from the constitution is an administrative step needed to   
   > fulfill Trudeau’s vision of a less partisan Red Chamber.   
   >   
   > To formalize the move, Goodale, national caucus chair Francis   
   > Scarpaleggia, House leader Dominic Leblanc and House whip Judy Foote   
   > have written to Liberal Party president Mike Crawley asking the party’s   
   > national board of directors to start working to amend the constitution.   
   >   
   > “The Constitution does identify clear roles and responsibilities for   
   > caucus which need to be adjusted to reflect our new caucus reality,”   
   > reads the letter, which was obtained from Trudeau’s office.   
   >   
   > “We urge the National Board to develop a process for amending the   
   > (Liberal Party of Canada) Constitution to remove reference to Senators   
   > and to operate immediately in a manner that is consistent with only   
   > elected Members of Parliament being part of the LPC National Caucus.”   
   >   
   > The NDP accused Trudeau Friday of breaking his party’s own rules by   
   > unilaterally excluding senators from caucus without getting the Liberal   
   > constitution changed first.   
   >   
   > Any constitutional amendment requires support from two-thirds of   
   > delegates at a national convention.   
   >   
   > “I think this shows that the Liberal leader drew this up on the back of   
   > a napkin,” said NDP deputy leader Nathan Cullen. “What he suggested on   
   > Wednesday was illegal in his constitution. God help us if he ever has to   
   > interpret the Canadian constitution.”   
   >   
   > But Liberals rushed to Trudeau’s defence, insisting the Liberal leader   
   > does indeed have the power to decide who is part of caucus.   
   >   
   > “The constitution is clear in terms of the leader is the one that   
   > determines who is in caucus,” said Crawley. “It’s the leader’s   
   purview   
   > to determine what comprises caucus.”   
   >   
   > Either way, it could be several years before the change is formalized.   
   >   
   > Any amendment requires support from two-thirds of delegates at a   
   > national convention, and while a convention will be held in Montreal in   
   > three weeks, the deadline for submitting proposed constitutional   
   > amendments has already passed.   
   >   
   > Crawley said the board of directors will meet next week to discuss   
   > proposed amendments, and there are mechanisms in place to hold an   
   > emergency convention and amend the constitution, as happened following   
   > the 2011 federal election when the party agreed to put off the   
   > leadership race by two years.   
   >   
   > But he didn’t believe there was a sense of urgency, and that the party   
   > could wait for the next Liberal convention in 2016.   
   >   
   > “Can the party in practice operate in a way that’s aligned with the   
   > decision that’s been made, and constitutionalize those changes at the   
   > next convention?” he said. “My sense going in is that we will be able to   
   > do that, but we need to confirm that.”   
   >   
   > Confusion had followed Trudeau’s announcement Wednesday that he was   
   > ejecting 32 senators from the party caucus.   
   >   
   > The senators rebranded themselves the Senate Liberal caucus, and said   
   > Trudeau couldn’t stop them from calling themselves Liberals because he   
   > couldn’t strip them of their party membership.   
   >   
   > Removing references to the senators from the constitution means they   
   > will remain members, but without any special standing in the party.   
   >   
   > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~   
   >   
   >   
   > “It is horrifying that we have to fight our own government to save the   
   > environment.” ― Ansel Adams   
   >   
   > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~   
   >   
   Good for Justin. Best move PR wise and doing the right thing wise since   
   he obtained power.   
      
   --   
   *Read and obey the Bible*   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)