Governance & Omnibus Bills

Our Canadian government is broken.

Our representatives believe they are in power to better themselves rather than the majority of Canadians. We elect them and they immediately start working at their own agendas or the next election. It matters not what their constituents voted them in for, nor what they promised during the election.

The Harper Government has spent it's entire mandate working for the betterment of corporations and the 1%. Omnibus bills have become commonplace during his tenure. The only reason for this type of law making is to hide or obfuscate pork barrel politics. Most of our elected representatives have not read all of these bills carefully. Most don't even know what they are really voting on. They cannot possibly spend the time necessary to research and define a position on all the issues in each Omnibus bill. That is why the government pushes them through! (Trust me, just vote for it!)  Does anyone out there know exactly what bills were included in the last two Omnibus bills?  Go ahead, try to find out what all is included in any of those bills. (Hint: http://canada.gc.ca  NOT!)

Omnibus bills in Canada are supposed to be used for related issues. Our government uses some pretty loose definitions of "related". For instance, anything can be related to the "budget". Anything they do is related to "government". That basically negates the rule regarding "related issues" doesn't it?

Bill C-38 is an Act to implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on March 29, 2012 and other measures. The "other measures" in the title should itself indicate that those issues were not related to the budget. A cursory look at the Bill indicates that those other measures were not. Part 3 contains certain measures related to responsible resource development. The only budget that involves is those of corporations trying to duck their environmental responsibilities. (OH! Now, I see the relationship!)

This blog started out with a general complaint and I got stuck on the Omnibus bills. I guess we'll have to visit the other issues, of which there are many, in other posts.

Thanks for your time,

Steve