The tyranny of the majority ....

It's an interesting turn of phrase, is it not? It was said by Conservatives who were chafing and frothing with the injustice, nay, the inhumanity of being subjected to the rules of order of the House of Commons Ethics committee.

Justice Minister Rob Nicholson .... told a rally in Ontario on Sunday that Prime Minister Stephen Harper has already made it clear he would not tolerate any more "obstruction"...

Meanwhile in Québec, former senator and now Conservative candidate Michael 'Teflon' Fortier is the point man for the attack against the Bloc Québecois. It seems that he is travelling across the province with a publicity van. These Conservative campaign advertisements attack not the raison d'être of the BQ party which is legitimate criticism, but the actual validity of casting a vote for Duceppe's party.

A caller to the Radio-Canada noon open-line program, Maisonneuve en direct, said bluntly:

"C'est grossier, ce que prétendent les Conservateurs. C'est comme si on avait pas le droit de voter pour le député ou le parti qu'on a choisi. Et ça vient de Monsieur Fortier, qui a été ministre sans jamais être élu."

Translation: This is crass, what the Conservatives claim. It suggests that a vote for the candidate of our choice is not legitimate. This from Mr Fortier who was a Minister without being elected.

In this opinion piece, the author castigates Fortier as a dangerous right-wing zealot and a promoter of hateful messages attacking the BQ and those who vote for the party. He announces his intention to file a complaint with Elections Canada.

Stephen Harper wants a majority and he will use whatever means necessary to achieve his goal.

Remember, back in August when Harper first tested the notion of calling an election, he claimed that he could no longer govern with the opposition holding the majority of seats? Under his leadership, senior CPC officials called riding workers who were suspicious of the 2006 'In-and-Out' scheme "a bunch of turds". One of those campaign volunteers was a police chief in a small Ontario town who smelled a rat and advised his candidate to turn down the offer.

Harper and his dirty-tricks gang have demonstrated that they can do tyranny very well, albeit on a small scale. All they require is a majority to really unleash their full potential.

A big Merci! to CC who started the thought process with his post. The political cartoon is from the Toronto Star.

Line! Overheard during the 2008 federal election.

Gilles Duceppe is the leader of the Bloc Québecois. While many in the so-called RoC - rest of Canada - wonder what role (or political game) the BQ plays in Ottawa and in federal politics, Duceppe reminded me today how refreshing it can be to hear an outsider's perspective.

The so-called "In-and-Out" accounting practices of the Conservative Party during the last federal election, also known as Adscam, were in the process of being scrutinized by the House of Commons Ethics Committee during August. The behaviour of the Con MPs who attended this committe proceedings were observed and live-blogged by Kady O'Malley, a reporter for MacLean's. This issue is important for the BQ because it may involve high-profile Con candidates that Duceppe's party wants to defeat at the polls on October 14th and so Gilles raised it today, when he spoke in Trois-Rivières.

The 'money quote' (pun intended) was Duceppe's response to the Cons grumbling about keeping their eyes on Elections Canada this time. He likened that tactic to criminals who threaten to watch the police for illegal activity.

Meanwhile, in news that remain relevant to the election campaign even though released before the writ was dropped, the Canadian Taxpayers Federation calculated the cost of pre-election spending announcements made by Stephen Harper’s New™ government. Total amount of promised spending as of September 5, 2008: "$8.8-billion, roughly $94-million a day or about $3.9-million every hour ..."

Updated to add: Oh, I forgot to mention this other important money fact. When byelections are cancelled, all the candidates' expenses not covered by donations have to be reimbursed by Elections Canada. So taxpayers will be stuck with a bill for close to $3.5 million. Additionally this election will cost us about $300 million. Just saying.