ANGUS HENDERSON
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The excitement of being a first-time Parliamentarian has turned to anger for Medicine Hat MP LaVar Payne barely six weeks into his term.
The exuberance took an abrupt turn last week following the federal opposition parties’ reaction to the Conservative government’s economic update, and the resulting decision for the three opposition parties to form a coalition government.
That anger has increased as this week unfolds and Payne says it’s reflected in every member of the Conservative caucus.
“I don’t know how you can team-up with somebody who wants to break-up the country, and yet there (Stephane Dion) is teaming up with the two other party leaders, Jack Layton of the NDP and Gilles Duceppe of the Bloc,” an upset Payne told the News Tuesday.
“It’s really just about one thing and that’s wanting to have power. Basically they’re giving the Bloc the key to the vault.”
He’s sees the move by the Liberals under Dion as just another example of a long-time governing party being more concerned about what they view as their rightful entitlements.
“If they were really serious about the economy, they’d go for the proposed cuts in pay and cuts in tax donations,” Payne continued. “They talk about us not providing a stimulus to the Canadian economy and yet we have and we have more coming Jan.1.”
He and other party members have been inundated with thousands of emails from constituents and he estimates some 95 per cent of the hundreds he’s been getting daily have been supportive of his party.
In addition, he pointed out that many of the emails are being copied to Gov. Gen. Michaelle Jean, who arrives back in Canada today from a shortened trip to Europe to deal with the Canadian political crisis.
Payne will be in his riding for a couple of days this weekend, before heading back to Ottawa for Monday’s anticipated non-confidence vote against the government.
He added that his party’s caucus is 100 per cent behind Prime Minster Stephen Harper in the present crisis.
“This (coalition) deal was put together long before we even had our economic update,” he stressed. “This has all been pretty much programmed by the opposition.”
Payne pointed out that this Saturday rallies against the coalition will be held in various parts of the country to object to the opposition pact to topple the Prime Minister and his Conservative minority government.
The local Rally For Canada event will be held at Riverside Veterans’ Memorial Park — across from city hall — at 1 p.m.
For more information, please contact Bobbi Dearborn at 403-527-1175, or Cathy Smith at 403-580-9605. |
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