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Make Parliament Work
Pubdate: Tue, 27 Sep 2005
Source: National Post (Canada)
Copyright: 2005 Southam Inc.
Contact: http://www.nationalpost.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/286
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/decrim.htm (Decrim/Legalization)
MAKE PARLIAMENT WORK
Following the ugliest sitting in living memory last spring,
Parliament's summer break offered a welcome respite. The resumption
of Parliament this week gives MPs an opportunity to restore public
confidence in the institution. One hopes they are returning to the
job with a renewed sense of purpose and civility, and a shared
commitment to adopt needed legislation.
Even with an election looming early next year, there is no reason for
Parliament to spend the next few months in a state of paralysis. If
MPs are willing to shift away from the pointless gamesmanship that
dominated the last sitting, there are a variety of policy areas that
demand attention, among them:
- - Corporate taxes. When Finance Minister Ralph Goodale caved in to
NDP demands last April and cancelled $4.6-million in planned cuts, he
promised to reintroduce them as soon as possible. But now, the
government has indicated they'll be further delayed until after the
next election, for fear of triggering the Liberals' defeat. As we
noted last week, some of the highest corporate tax rates in the
Western world place Canada at an enormous competitive disadvantage.
The Conservatives should pledge to help the Liberals pass the cuts
they promised previously -- and Paul Martin's party, secure in the
knowledge it will not fall, should reintroduce the bill.
- - Health care. Since the Supreme Court of Canada's ruling this past
spring opening the door to private health insurance, all parties --
other than the NDP with its proposed ban on the expansion of private
care -- have studiously avoided the issue. Granted, there is no
chance that one sitting of Parliament will cure all that ails our
medicare system, nor even settle on the bold steps needed to take us
in that direction. But it is time for some meaningful debate on the
future of medicare -- including serious consideration of a broad
expansion of private delivery.
- - Rebuilding our Armed Forces. To its credit, the government finally
made military investment something of a priority in this year's
budget. But the increased funds still amount to only a drop in the
bucket, especially since they will be staggered over several years.
In a recent study for Queen's University, security and defence expert
Christopher Ankersen wrote that the Forces' goal of 8,000 additional
recruits is unrealistic -- not just because of the difficulty in
attracting that many people, but also because the Forces' resources
have been spread so thin that they simply cannot accommodate that
many new troops. To rebuild our military to the point where it is
actually able to contribute to major international campaigns, it will
have to be made a bigger priority.
- - Gasoline taxes. Higher prices at the pumps are a fact of life
Canadians will have to live with. But the federal government could do
much to ease the burden by scaling back the absurd array of gas taxes
- -- notably the application of the GST on top of other taxes
(effectively a tax on a tax), the venerable "deficit elimination tax"
that persists even though Ottawa has balanced the books and the 10
cents/litre excise tax.
- - Drug laws. The marijuana decriminalization saga has dragged on far
longer than it should have. While we prefer legalization, rather than
the proposed half-measure, some reform would be better than none. Mr.
Martin's foot-dragging on this file has gone on long enough; it is
time to stop saddling Canadians who use a substance no more harmful
than alcohol or tobacco with criminal records.
- - The age of consent. At present, it is legal for an adult to have
sex with a 14-year-old, provided that the adult is not an authority
figure and the relationship does not fit an official definition of
"exploitive." A Conserva tive motion to be voted on shortly would
raise the age of consent to 16, bringing it more in line with the
United States and many other Western countries. Provided that any
legislation include a "close-in-age" clause to ensure that it would
not be a crime for two young people to engage in sexual relations
with each other, it should be passed.
During its last sitting, Parliament became a running joke among
voters. And the recent spate of backstabbing among Conservatives
suggests the spirit of farce is still alive and well. But Canadians
have had their share of bickering and brinkmanship. It is time now
for Canada's legislators to get down to the business of legislating.
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MAP posted-by: Elizabeth Wehrman