They'll be sending Redcoats to quell those uppity colonists soon enough.

This is weird..Harper is acting like tyrant..eh?

GaryPDX: This is weird..Harper is acting like tyrant..eh?

Dude, he's a clusterfark.

GaryPDX: This is weird..Harper is acting like tyrant..eh?

I think he's about to take his ball and go straight home.

As I said before, he's shot both feet and is currently reloading and aiming at his testicles.

Harper now has no choice but to visit Governor General Michaelle Jean -- the representative of Queen Elizabeth, Canada's head of state -- and ask her to suspend Parliament until he can deliver a budget on Jan. 27.

I didn't know the Queen was still Canada's Head of State.

GaryPDX: Harper now has no choice but to visit Governor General Michaelle Jean -- the representative of Queen Elizabeth, Canada's head of state -- and ask her to suspend Parliament until he can deliver a budget on Jan. 27.

I didn't know the Queen was still Canada's Head of State.

Then you're terribly uninformed on even the most basic of issues you like to talk very loudly about.

GaryPDX: I didn't know the Queen was still Canada's Head of State.

Technically, yes. Think of it as one of Parliaments alternatives to "checks and balances" in your system.

/She's a good Shelagh, and not at all stuck up.

GaryPDX: I didn't know the Queen was still Canada's Head of State.

It's been almost a hundred years since the GG actually had a decision like this to make.

Meh, pasted from red lit thread... honest question, I'm still curious about it.

An un-elected representative of the Queen has considerable special powers over the government of Canada. I remain baffled as to why Canada and other Commonwealth states are still okay with that.

Saying we don't understand parliament isn't an answer for why a generally democratic people would tolerate the queen's representative having so much power. Does the Queen herself even have that much power in the UK? If she does, she never exercises it as far as I know. Her position is largely ceremonial.

ArbitraryConstant: It's been almost a hundred years since the GG actually had a decision like this to make.

They're leaving this decision up to the Google Groups??

We're farked.

Slaxl: GaryPDX: Harper now has no choice but to visit Governor General Michaelle Jean -- the representative of Queen Elizabeth, Canada's head of state -- and ask her to suspend Parliament until he can deliver a budget on Jan. 27.

I didn't know the Queen was still Canada's Head of State.

Then you're terribly uninformed on even the most basic of issues you like to talk very loudly about.

Funny, I don't recall talking about Canadian Governmental structure, if ever...not even loudly.

ArbitraryConstant
It's been almost a hundred years since the GG actually had a decision like this to make.

hmm... that might be part of my answer. If the GG more frequently exercised power, some people might get annoyed. If it's that seldom, most people probably never think about it until something like this finally comes up.

So can one of you Canucks put down your poutine and explain to a rather self-important American just what the hell is going on?

And people want to make fun of OUR political landscape?

This hardly seems real.

Thank gosh there ain't a Prop 8 attached to all this.

OlafTheBent: GaryPDX: I didn't know the Queen was still Canada's Head of State.

Technically, yes. Think of it as one of Parliaments alternatives to "checks and balances" in your system.

/She's a good Shelagh, and not at all stuck up.

hopefully for ya'll, she kicks his ass right out

i thought we were farked up down here, with the silinness of this last election cycle, but i think ya'll may have it worse

/not a lot of canadian news filters it's way down to houston, and i haven't talked to my resident ontarioan(?) customer in a month

ftfa: They are backed by the Bloc Quebecois, which wants to break up Canada by gaining independence for French-speaking Quebec.

Here we go again with the French only agenda. If Quebec feels the need to seperate, they should do it, rather than fark over the rest of Canada.

GTFO Quebec.

/a proud CANADIAN.

Oh no. It is you who are wrong...about a great many things, ya hoser.

patrick767: Meh, pasted from red lit thread... honest question, I'm still curious about it.

An un-elected representative of the Queen has considerable special powers over the government of Canada. I remain baffled as to why Canada and other Commonwealth states are still okay with that.

Saying we don't understand parliament isn't an answer for why a generally democratic people would tolerate the queen's representative having so much power. Does the Queen herself even have that much power in the UK? If she does, she never exercises it as far as I know. Her position is largely ceremonial.

Yeah the Queen has very little real power, but quite a lot of ceremonial power. Theoretically she could try and exersize those powers in the real world, but then she would witness the dismantling of the Monarchy faster than you could say "antidisestablishmentarianism".

I'd be very surprised if the GG went on to take a course of action which would result in a few more months for Harper, that would anger a lot of people, people who would then be in power and not like her, or the position, very much anymore. Above all else if the people have lost faith in Harper then her duty is to those people.

Harper is an idiot for trying to take public funds from the parties....how could he think they wouldn't be pissed about it?

On the other hand, if he gets Jean to prorogue Parliament, the election that'll end up happening in February will see the Conservatives get a majority....


/just watch

patrick767: Saying we don't understand parliament isn't an answer for why a generally democratic people would tolerate the queen's representative having so much power. Does the Queen herself even have that much power in the UK? If she does, she never exercises it as far as I know. Her position is largely ceremonial.

... and which individual in the electoral college did you vote for?

im not going to claim to know... well anything about canadian government. What i will comment on is the article itself which to me read, basically like a star wars plot...

Weird...

Or im that much of a geek...

Begun, the poutine wars have :(

potee: So can one of you Canucks put down your poutine and explain to a rather self-important American just what the hell is going on?

The Prime Minister, Harper, sucks absolutely astounding amounts of arse. It's so bad that parliamentarians who would ordinarily not speak much to each other are banding together to, essentially, impeach him - and rather promptly, too.

Harper has decided that the best way to get around this is to suspend Parliament until he can convince them all not to ride him out of town on a rail. He's doing this by appealing - by proxy, through the Governor General - to Queen Elizabeth, who is still the head of Canada's government. The GG is expected to approve his request, since failing to do so would result in the near-immediate 'impeachment' of the Prime Minister, and would be a rather unprecedented amount of interventionism.

/American
//but I think I've got it 80% right

StoneG: Here we go again with the French only agenda. If Quebec feels the need to seperate, they should do it, rather than fark over the rest of Canada.

GTFO Quebec.

/a proud CANADIAN.

I'd take all the allies you can get against Harper.

GaryPDX: Funny, I don't recall talking about Canadian Governmental structure, if ever...not even loudly.

Don't pay attention Gary... you asked a simple question and received an undeserved reply IMO.

patrick767: Meh, pasted from red lit thread... honest question, I'm still curious about it.

An un-elected representative of the Queen has considerable special powers over the government of Canada. I remain baffled as to why Canada and other Commonwealth states are still okay with that.

Saying we don't understand parliament isn't an answer for why a generally democratic people would tolerate the queen's representative having so much power. Does the Queen herself even have that much power in the UK? If she does, she never exercises it as far as I know. Her position is largely ceremonial.

Michaelle Jean's position is largely ceremonial. But, in this case, her ceremonial duties have been called upon in a very unusual context. Every time parliament opens and closes PMs go to Governors General to ask permission. And, almost always the Governor General rubber stamps it.

It is only is really weird cases where the decision of the Governor General is actually important. Here, for example, there is a real tough constitutional question because it is very unusual to ask to suspend parliament after about a week, for the sole purpose of skipping a confidence motion. The GG is supposed to respond to the wishes of Parliament, through the PM. But here, the wishes of Parliament do not seem to be represented by the PM, as he would most likely lose the confidence vote that would make it official.

Basically, this hardly ever happens in our system.

Everything that has transpired has done so according to my design. Oh, I'm afraid the Moose shield will be quite operational when your friends arrive.

CeroX
im not going to claim to know... well anything about canadian government. What i will comment on is the article itself which to me read, basically like a star wars plot...

Weird...

Or im that much of a geek...

Nope, that's just how bad Episode One was. Parliamentary procedure, trade disputes, and horribly racist accents. MMM Episode One.

GaryPDX: Harper now has no choice but to visit Governor General Michaelle Jean -- the representative of Queen Elizabeth, Canada's head of state -- and ask her to suspend Parliament until he can deliver a budget on Jan. 27.

I didn't know the Queen was still Canada's Head of State.

The Empire still lives, it appears. Australia is similarly still suckling at the teat of Mother Britain.

Everything is cool now. The Queen has sent her emissaries.




/snerk

GaryPDX: Slaxl: GaryPDX: Harper now has no choice but to visit Governor General Michaelle Jean -- the representative of Queen Elizabeth, Canada's head of state -- and ask her to suspend Parliament until he can deliver a budget on Jan. 27.

I didn't know the Queen was still Canada's Head of State.

Then you're terribly uninformed on even the most basic of issues you like to talk very loudly about.

Funny, I don't recall talking about Canadian Governmental structure, if ever...not even loudly.

You're right, I was a bit snappy, sorry.

Perhaps they can settle the dispute, with one big free-for-all hockey game death match...

/ and put it on pay-per-view....

Slaxl: antidisestablishmentarianism

Antidistiblish
Antidistibi

Anti distinctly minty monty.

The funniest thing about all this, is ordinary Canadians using the word "prorogue", as if they use it daily.

"Do you think Harper will prorogue Parliament? I mean, Jean has no choice but to let him prorogue, because if he can't prorogue, then we're either going to election or our government is being taken down by a coup. Gee, I really hope she approves the proroguing.

Pass the proroguies, hon.

Yeah so like I was saying, prorogue prorogue prorogue."

Even worse are the people who say the word "prologue", because they have never heard this other word before, and think the two words are perfectly interchangeable.

"Yeah so I heard Harper wants to prologue the Parliament. Isn't that crazy?"

TYPE AB - Sociable, popular, calm, rational, critical, indecisive

That's just a load of pop-psi BS. Probably.

OlafTheBent: patrick767: Saying we don't understand parliament isn't an answer for why a generally democratic people would tolerate the queen's representative having so much power. Does the Queen herself even have that much power in the UK? If she does, she never exercises it as far as I know. Her position is largely ceremonial.

... and which individual in the electoral college did you vote for?

One that lives in our country.

Doors open.. Here we go.

He is doing what he has to, to maintain power. I wouldn't be surprised if he took this to another level of the coalition doesn't back off soon.

I hope Canada rips itself apart.

At least this isn't happening in an important country.


/see, Bush isn't so bad...

Slaxl: GaryPDX: Slaxl: GaryPDX: Harper now has no choice but to visit Governor General Michaelle Jean -- the representative of Queen Elizabeth, Canada's head of state -- and ask her to suspend Parliament until he can deliver a budget on Jan. 27.

I didn't know the Queen was still Canada's Head of State.

Then you're terribly uninformed on even the most basic of issues you like to talk very loudly about.

Funny, I don't recall talking about Canadian Governmental structure, if ever...not even loudly.

You're right, I was a bit snappy, sorry.

God I love it when people get along.

SchlingFocker: Dude, he's a clusterfark.

Didn't Harper just sign a treaty banning those?

Hmmm....the headline made me think of Canadian Clone troopers.

Canada, like Mexico, is not a real country any how. Why do they bother having any form of government?

StoneG: ftfa: They are backed by the Bloc Quebecois, which wants to break up Canada by gaining independence for French-speaking Quebec.

Here we go again with the French only agenda. If Quebec feels the need to seperate, they should do it, rather than fark over the rest of Canada.

GTFO Quebec.

/a proud CANADIAN.

Believe it or not there are people in Quebec who actually LIKE being part of Canada.

Tell me again how Canadian politics and history are boring?

This frigging rocks, from a popcorn perspective.

Nerdy Academic Francophone Liberal leader gets beaten in an election.

His own party tosses him over the side. But before he can be replaced, the guy who beat him (but not by a wide enough margin) decides to try to take advantage of a disorganized opposition to cut their funding and hamstring them for the next election.

Suddenly, the Franco-Nerd rallies the troops, and before you know it, has the Prime Minister on the ropes.

Now it is up to an unelected vice-regal figure to decide what happens next.

STAY TUNED.

Awesome.

the coalition of losers from the last election (held in October) are trying to steal power by coming in through the back door.

In any other country, this would be called a coup.

MooseUpNorth: SchlingFocker: Dude, he's a clusterfark.

Didn't Harper just sign a treaty banning those?

Only the clusterfarks where women have any say in who's getting farked.

GWShenlong05: "Yeah so I heard Harper wants to prologue the Parliament. Isn't that crazy?"

I heard someone in the elevator yesterday mention that Harper wanter to roger Parliament.

... Thankfully I was exiting the elevator at the time, as soon as the doors were closed I was on the floor laughing.