Behind public partisan battles, camaraderie does exist between parties, says Grit MP Pearson

Liberal MP Glen Pearson had a rare moment on Parliament Hill last week where MPs of all stripes were cooperative and "generally being kind to each other" when his wife and children came from London, Ont., to visit him in Ottawa. "Two generations ago, Canadian politicians not only respected each other as professionals in a shared discipline, they also often extended each other private support on shared projects," he wrote on a blog posting. "I understand the need for the heavy partisan bickering at a certain level, and though I disagree with it, I know it's a permanent piece of the landscape up here." Last Monday, however, a slew of non-partisan events happened for Mr. Pearson, starting when International Cooperation Minister Bev Oda met his children, who he adopted from Sudan after QP. She was "characteristically gracious," he wrote. "As she spoke to the kids, Jack Layton (NDP) walked up and engaged them as well, obviously expressing interest in their lives and how they are adjusting to Canada. I thanked him later in a quiet moment and he said he was pleased to have had the opportunity to dialogue with them—I believed him 100 per cent." He also noted that NDP MP Paul Dewar later also asked the children about their Halloween and Bloc MP Johanne Deschamps spoke with his wife for awhile. Earlier the same day, as QP started, he said he crossed the floor to shake Defence Minister Peter MacKay's hand, "congratulating him on the announcement of his engagement only the day before. I sent him over a message during QP that I could sense the happiness in him. I hope he doesn't mind my telling that he responded back by saying he was smiling so much his face hurt. Later, Conservative MP David Sweet crossed over to sit next to me on the opposition side and asked if I would cooperate with him on a venture in the near future. I readily consented. As the House drew into the late-afternoon hours, I briefly sat next to Conservative Michael Chong, congratulating him on the birth of his new baby." Mr. Pearson said the day was "remarkable." Readers thank Mr. Clement for repeating government line The Hill Times published a policy briefing on intellectual property and communications in last week's issue, with a special focus on copyright issues. University of Ottawa law professor and copyright expert Michael Geist, who also contributed to the special section, remarked on his website last week that Industry Minister Tony Clement's comment from The Hill Times' Q&A that Canada has its own copyright policies which are "fully consistent with its international obligations" is something that's "correct and should be repeated again and again particularly when the U.S. ambassador to Canada and copyright lobby groups try to persuade the Canadian public otherwise." However, one of Mr. Geist's astute readers pointed out that Mr. Clement's comment was "word-for-word taken from the consultation FAQ, question 4." So it is. But another reader came to Mr. Clement's defence, saying, "Who cares if it's a repeat of the FAQ. The point is, it's right and it's given as an official position. Notwithstanding my opinion of the Harper Cabinet in general, I will give Clement his due in thanking him for repeating this statement." NRCan Minister Raitt right about Aglukkaq: Liberal MP Oliphant Parliamentarians held an emergency debate last Monday on the H1N1 flu pandemic until 12 a.m. During the five-hour debate, some MPs Tweeted some comments, including Liberal MP Rob Oliphant who said, "Lisa Raitt was right—Leona Aglukkaq is way over her head in the Health portfolio. But right only about that." He later tweeted that he was "amazed how closely Aglukkaq sticks to the script from the PMO—even to the point of addressing 'Mr. Speaker' with a woman in the chair!" NDP MP Glenn Thibeault Tweeted that the "Conservative government refuses to take responsibility for the shortage of vaccine across the country—and won't explain why private clinics for the rich received vaccine early and plentifully." Meanwhile, Conservative MP Patrick Brown alerted his followers to the fact that six million doses of the vaccine "have been delivered to the provinces and territories. This is more per capita than any other country in world. Managing this health challenge isn't easy but Canada is showing global leadership." Bloc MPs sit out Royal visit Prince Charles began his 10-day visit to Canada last Monday and while the government was busy entertaining him, not everyone was excited for his visit. "We live in a Parliamentary monarchy," Bloc MP Jean Dorion said during his S.O. 31 Member Statement. "This is an archaic political system that forces us to swear allegiance to the Queen, instead of to the people, and that means that all the legislation we vote on here must be approved by the Queen's representative in Canada, the Governor General. We think this form of political organization is undemocratic and politically outdated. Like 86 per cent of Quebeckers, the Bloc Québécois refuses to support this regime, which is why we will not take part in the activities surrounding Prince Charles' visit to Canada." Meanwhile, a recent poll by the Canadian Friends of the Royal Family found that 80 per cent of Canadians say they felt the monarchy has an important place in Canada's history, but more than 60 per cent felt it was outdated. Montreal filmmaker John Curtin addresses some of these issues in an upcoming documentary about the British monarchy, After Elizabeth II: Monarchy in Peril. Mr. Curtin, whose mother's uncle, Sir William Gilliat, was the Queen's obstetrician and delivered Prince Charles, asks, "Is this the end of the line for the British monarchy?" The documentary runs on Nov. 12, Prince Charles' last day in Canada, on CBC Doc Zone at 8 p.m. bvongdou@hilltimes.com The Hill Times

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Behind public partisan battles, camaraderie does exist between parties, says Grit MP Pearson

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