Listening to Question Period

I definitely learned something new today listening to Question Period. I do think that every visitor to the House during the time of a special event should be vetted which I say again. The Prime Minister did offer that to the parties and the speaker that they put forward lists of names of people to be vetted. It was a good solution actually.  The responsibility thus lies with the individuals who have invited people to the house to get the names to the Prime Minister's office so that the individuals can be vetted. It does mean that spontaneity disappears which is a bit sad likely but life has changed. 

The Leader of the Opposition is mistaken to try to put all of the blame on one individual. The Prime Minister represents the party in power and the entire house and country but he is not personally responsible for every event down to the last detail. In a democracy "the buck doesn't land" on any one person, although often enough we hear that expression but it is not correct. In the long run, an individual made a request that he should have known was wrong. We do not honour Nazis in this country (they are a Satanic Cult) but they have paid and are paying a price for their wrong doings if they are still alive. We are fast approaching a time when the last Nazi from the Second World War will have left this world. I would say their treatment in Canada has been kind; they were not wanted in their own countries and they got to come here and have a new life and raise their families but there is a limit to what they can have and it is limited by their background for which there is no forgetting. It is time perhaps that that limitation is expressed by ensuring that there is never a monument to commemorate any Nazi in Canada that bears the word Nazi or any other words attributed to the Third Reich.

I found the leader of the Parti Quebecois did get to the greatest difficulties that have emerged following this event. In particular he wanted to ensure that President Zelenskyy and  the Jewish Community had received full apologies for this happening. And I believe that he could see the difficulty that has now been brought forward; the government interfering in the liberty of Parliament. Being an outsider, a citizen who has only ever sat in the Visitor's area of Parliament once in my entire life, I did not have as complete an understanding of Parliamentary privilege which each party enjoys until the Prime Minister discussed it.

Life is evolving very quickly in our world and the Prime Minister is preferring to try and keep the Status Quo with respect to Parliamentary Privilege as enjoyed by each political party and he is very right to do that. It does, however, leave us open to events that we may not particularly like. Simply because one can not always be cognizant of the intent by individuals making requests of the different offices in Parliament. We either have a completely controlled state which is not that desirable. Or we can have happenings that are not to our liking which we have to clean up afterwards. Perhaps in the long run we can not protect or solve all of these problems if we want to have the kind of freedom that we have enjoyed.

It is this freedom that most frightens the Russian leadership. They have iron clad control and although they will attempt to make a big deal about this happening it will fall very flat for them because only in a democracy can one oppose. That is freedom and in Canada there is a great deal of it particularly in Parliament itself. 

The solution is basically to offer the ability to submit lists of people from the particular groups in Parliament to the appropriate people so that they can be vetted. 

The standing ovation has been rescinded as it should have been; that may not be quite the same as obliterated  but does speak the mind of Parliament and Canada with regard to this event. The freedom that is so enjoyed by the Political Parties and the Speaker can continue to happen in the Parliamentary Chambers. 

I do note again though that CSIS did give a warning that Russian agents may try to interfere in the upcoming visit of President Zelenskyy. We must listen to CSIS when they offer such advice and think carefully on the events around us.