What was likely the final QP of the year was very nearly a full house in the Commons, and saw the arrival of the two new Conservative MPs who recently won the by-elections in Durham and Calgary Centre. Once Erin O’Toole and Joan Crockatt took their seats, Thomas Mulcair started off by reading off demands for amendments to the Investment Canada Act, and intimated that the Prime Minister is scaring off investment. Harper pointed out that the markets responded positively to the decision, and hit back about how the NDP would shut down the oil sands. Mulcair then switched tracks and went after the F-35s, to which Harper shrugged and said that the Auditor General’s report found some problems with cost assumptions, but they had this new process going forward. Bob Rae then got up, and took umbrage with Harper’s characterisation of the the Auditor General’s report, and got into a back-and-forth with Harper about what was in the report.
Tag Archives: F-35 Fighters
QP: New MP, same questions
The calendar running out, and so many things left to bat the government with, it was going to be another fairly testy QP, but before things could get underway, the business or the House paused so that newly elected NDP MP Murray Rankin could be brought into the a chamber to take his seat. When QP got underway, Thomas Mulcair read off a trio of questions about when the government would be clarifying the Investment Canada Act, per the NDP opposition day motion yesterday which the Conservatives agreed to. Harper responded that they already clarified the rules last Friday when they drew the line in the sand around state-owned enterprises — hence why they voted for said motion. Mulcair carried on, asking a pair of questions on the F-35s, and why there were no regional industrial benefits. Harper assured him of the Seven-Point Plan™, and named several companies in Montreal that are benefitting from subcontracts for the plane’s construction. Bob Rae was up next, and pressed about the cost figures for the F-35 purchase. Harper went back to the Seven-Point Plan™, and reminded Rae that when you keep lengthening the service lifetime that the costs will also keep rising.
Roundup: Investment rules and an eye on joint ventures
Those new foreign investment rules unveiled by Harper along with the Nexen and Progress Energy decisions will likely have an impact beyond the oil sands – but it’s clear as to how just yet. What it will likely do is involve state-owned enterprises in more joint ventures and having them become minority shareholders to conform to the new rules. Economist Stephen Gordon looks at the economics of investing in the oil sands and why there is a need for foreign investment (and why most of the fears about foreign state-owned enterprises are overblown).
Oh, and those theories that Harper put these markers around state-owned enterprises as a marker for future trade negotiations with China? Paul Wells wonders about the logic of that considering that Canada-China FIPA that’s sitting there, unratified…
On the F-35 file, certain critics say that the promised industrial benefits (currently pegged in the $9 billion range, down from the $12 billion originally stated) aren’t likely to materialise, which is a ticking time bomb for the government. To date those industrial benefits have amounted to less than $500 million.
QP: Predictable questions on Nexen and the F-35s
The last sitting Monday of the year was a bit scrappy, but not to the point of rancour. All three leaders were in the House, which I am taking to be a sign that the House will rise before the week is out. Thomas Mulcair angrily read off a trio of questions about the Nexen takeover and accusing Harper of not respecting the rule of law. Harper responded by assuring him that the decisions were made under the current laws and that going forward there would be no more acquisitions by state-owned companies. Matthew Kellway was up next to ask about the leaked numbers from the KPMG audit of the F-35s and demanded an open competition. Ambrose insisted the secretariat was doing just that, and reminded him that the more years you add to the lifecycle, the higher the cost figure grows. Bob Rae pressed on about F-35s, repeating previous government statements about their necessity. Harper gave the party lines about how no money was spent on acquisition and that the CF-18s needed to be replaced. For his final question, Rae asked for the terms and conditions of the CNOOC and Petronas purchases to be made public. Harper reminded him that it was not yet the proper time to do so, as there are confidential commercial concerns.
Roundup: That “worrying trend” in the oil sands
Industry minister Christian Paradis said there was a “worrying trend” in oil sands development, which is why they’ve drawn their line in the sand about state-owned enterprises – err, barring any yet-undefined “exceptional circumstances.” Meanwhile, Alison Redford is pleased with the decision, but wants clarity around some of the conditions, especially when it comes to corporate governance. In case you were wondering, here is a timeline of the Nexen and Progress Energy takeovers.
Changes to medical marijuana regulations may end up putting the onus more squarely on doctors to make prescriptions rather than requiring Health Canada approval – which seems entirely consistent with Leona Aglukkaq’s unspoken mandate to divest Health Canada of any and all responsibility for anything.
Roundup: A very big decision while a firestorm rages
The government has decided to allow both the CNOOC-Nexen and Petronas-Progress Energy takeovers go through, but with the warning that henceforth, no more state-owned enterprises will really be allowed to invest in the oil sands barring “exceptional circumstances.” And the fact that Harper himself held a press conference and took questions for thirty minutes – something he never does – means that this was really a Very Big Deal. And yes, the NDP are opposed, in case you were wondering. In advance of the decision, Macleans.ca had a Q&A that explains the review process and what it all means. Here’s a look at Nexen’s market share in Canada. Andrew Coyne notes how big of a mess the foreign investment rules are going forward.
As the renewed firestorm over the F-35s continues – John Ivison now reporting that the KPMG report says they’ll cost nearly $46 billion to purchase – word has it that the government will have four independent monitors to vet the process, including the retired RCAF commander of the Libya mission, and University of Ottawa professor Philippe Lagassé – not that this is confirmed yet. Lagassé, incidentally, also wrote an op-ed yesterday that highlights the systemic procurement problems at DND, and concludes that the Canadian Forces won’t be able to fully recapitalise its fleets and assets unless they get a significant budget increase once the deficit is slain. John Geddes notes that a panel is one thing, but the hard work of what plane to get is quite another. Andrew Coyne says that the entire debacle has proved to be a failure for democratic accountability, as every mechanism we have to ensure it has been evaded, subverted or ignored.
Roundup: Cue the F-35 damage control
So the F-35s are suddenly a big deal again. First Power Play gets a leaked tidbit from the KPMG report that says the costs are more in the $30-40 billion range, and then PostMedia reported that the government had cancelled the F-35 purchase entirely. This then prompted the PMO to issue a quick denial, that they were committed to going through with the Seven-Point Action Plan™ of the procurement secretariat, which basically means that the F-35 is no longer being sole-sourced, but will have to compete with the other choices out there, like the Super Hornet (which is widely touted as a better choice for Canadian needs to in the first place). Oh, and it looks like Rona Ambrose has promised the KPMG report will be tabled before the House rises – but my cynical side says that it will be on the actual day that happens.
Despite the government’s hand-picked advisory panel on firearms recommending that there be some relaxation of prohibited firearms into the “restricted” category – apparently for the sake of souvenir handguns brought back during the two World Wars – Harper has said thanks but no thanks, and is distancing himself from many of the panel’s recommendations. (In fact, Harper was downright reasonable and cooperative on the topic in QP yesterday, which was a rare and welcome sight).
QP: Somber questions on violence against women
Despite the previous afternoon’s tensions, the bulk of the Members’ Statements prior to QP were in recognition of the École Polytechnique massacre 23 years ago, followed by a minute of silence, and that kept the mood somber and tempers restrained. When QP began, Thomas Mulcair read off a question about a story in the Toronto Star that the government may be looking to weaken gun control laws further. Harper assured him that wasn’t the case, and the prohibited weapons category existed for a reason – namely public safety. Mulcair then read the same question in French, and got the same response. And then Françoise Boivin asked a pair of questions on the very same thing, to which Vic Toews assured her that no, they weren’t going to weaken the regulations. (Note: this is what happens when you stick to scripted questions and can’t think on your feet and actually debate like you’re supposed to). When Bob Rae got up for the Liberals to ask if Harper would consider adding the Chiefs of Police and the perspectives of domestic violence and suicide prevention groups to the firearms advisory council. Harper told him that he would take it under advisement because it is such a serious issue. For his final question, Rae asked if the government would table the KPMG report on the F-35s before the House rises for the winter break. Harper talked around the answer, and didn’t make such a commitment.
Roundup: Near-fisticuffs and self-serving narratives
The big news of the Commons yesterday was what appeared to be the near-outbreak of fisticuffs between Peter Van Loan and Thomas Mulcair (a spectacle Bob Rae later referred to as making “Sumo wrestling look like a fitness contest). Apparently once the votes were over – and the Speaker ruled against an NDP Point of Order that the Report Stage vote last night shouldn’t have counted because Jim Flaherty wasn’t there to move his own motion – Peter Van Loan crossed the floor, shaking his finger, and said something along the lines of “it was your fucking guy,” referencing an error made by Deputy Speaker Joe Comartin in the chair when that vote was taken last night, and that Cullen was being a hypocrite by making a big deal out of it. And Mulcair allegedly snapped back with “get the fuck back to your own side.” And MPs started rushing over until Peter MacKay and Paul Dewar broke it up before any punches could be thrown. Now, Van Loan doesn’t deny his choice of words, but other NDP MPs are claiming that Mulcair only told Van Loan not to threaten his House Leader. What this does, however, is set up a couple of counter-narratives, each of them self-serving. For the NDP, it’s that Van Loan and Harper’s gang are bullies – and we are in the midst of a crusade against bullying these days. For the Conservatives, it’s about Mulcair and his temper, citing an incident three years ago where it was Mulcair who crossed the floor and menaced Gerald Keddy in a similar manner. And then there is the crowd that is shaking their head and lamenting it all – or as Colby Cosh put it, “Wah wah wah parliamentarians get angry sometimes wah wah wah disgrace to democracy etc. etc.” Pretty much. Good thing there are a mere seven sitting days left.
QP: The pressing matter of random Breathalyzer tests
For the first time in a couple of weeks, both Stephen Harper and Thomas Mulcair were in the House at the same time for QP, and had the chance to face-off. Mulcair led-off by reading a question about random Breathalyzer testing legislation, to which Harper assured him that the government had brought in measures and would be doing more as they went along. Rob Nicholson asked two follow-ups by hectoring the NDP for not being tough on all kinds of crime. Mulcair carried on with the leader’s round, taking all five questions, with a pro forma question on the economy, which Harper shrugged off with a pro forma answer, and the final question was on the First Nations Residential Schools apology, to which Harper assured him that they were cooperating, but that some of the documents now under contention were personal records that were outside of the scope of the commission. Bob Rae was then up, asking about the need for consultation with the Northern Gateway project, with respect to First Nations. Harper assured him that they were consulting, but Rae challenged him on this, saying that the government downloaded that consultation to the National Energy Board.