 |
 |
Many bills may face legislative limbo By KIM LUNMAN From Tuesday's Globe and Mail Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2003 Ottawa — More than 30 government bills — including everything from decriminalizing marijuana to establishing a national sex-offenders' registry — could remain in legislative limbo as the clock ticks down on Prime Minister Jean Chrétien's final months in office. And with speculation the Liberal government could end its fall session one week before the Liberal leadership convention is expected to crown front-runner Paul Martin next month, time is running out on government business. "The priority of this government is to get rid of Chrétien and get Martin in there," said Canadian Alliance House Leader John Reynolds. "They're in flux," he said. "There's nothing new coming out. They're not in a hurry to speed up anything." Some Liberal MPs aren't even bothering to show up at committee meetings as the transition of two duelling agendas continues, he said. The government has already backed away from its legislation to change the 127-year-old Indian Act, which was criticized by Mr. Martin. Other controversial bills — including the government's plans to decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana and another that would regulate reproductive technology and prohibit human cloning — could face similar hurdles. Mr. Martin appears in a hurry to start the job while Mr. Chrétien appears in no hurry to leave. Last week, Mr. Martin presided over his own evening caucus meeting in Parliament with 100 Liberal MPs in attendance for a three-hour discussion with beer and pizza. A week earlier, Mr. Chrétien was forced to defend himself against opposition charges he was a "lame duck" when Mr. Martin invited the premiers to the Grey Cup in Regina. Political observers say Mr. Chrétien's long goodbye combined with Mr. Martin's huge lead in the leadership race over Sheila Copps is creating a two-headed administration in which little will get done. "We're in a state of paralysis and drift right now," said Heather MacIvor, a political scientist at the University of Windsor. Some of the bills the government will have to fast-track include legislation to overhaul electoral boundaries to increase the number of ridings in Canada from 301 to 308 before the federal election, expected as early in April. The bill would add three more MPs in Ontario, two in Alberta and two in B.C. The number of MPs is adjusted every decade to reflect changes in the population from census data. Another outstanding bill affecting electoral policy would establish minimum conditions for a group running election candidates to be listed as a political party. There are suggestions the government will prorogue Parliament as early as a week before the Nov. 15 Liberal leadership race. That would leave only a few weeks for the Liberal government to pass legislation before Mr. Martin becomes the new leader of the party. But government House Leader Don Boudria told reporters last week the Liberals intend to sit in the House of Commons well into December to complete its legislative list. "Wait a minute . . . nobody said the session was ending on Nov. 7 and I certainly haven't said that," he said. "I've said the opposite all along." He also said the government wants to pass its controversial law to decriminalize marijuana before the end of the year. "I certainly think it's possible to have it complete, at least on the House side, by Christmas." The government's bill to legalize same-sex marriage, meanwhile, is not expected to return to Parliament for a vote until September, 2004, at the earliest, after a constitutional review by the Supreme Court of Canada. Legislation delayed until late fall runs the risk of dying on the order paper when Mr. Chrétien's successor takes office as prime minister in February. The next leader will likely terminate or prorogue the parliamentary session to start over with a new cabinet and Speech from the Throne. Mr. Martin is already being targeted by political opponents as though he has already been selected as Liberal leader. Yesterday, NDP Leader Jack Layton launched a Web site attacking Mr. Martin's policies and past business dealings. SOURCE: The Globe and Mail, Canada http://tinyurl.com/r95d * * * ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn