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An Open Letter From Paul McKeever to Michaëlle Jean, Governor General of Canada

December 2, 2008 by  

December 2, 2008

Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean C.C., C.M.M., C.O.M., C.D.
Governor General of Canada
Rideau Hall
1 Sussex Drive
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0A1

Excellency:

It is public knowledge that, in anticipation that the Official Opposition’s December 8, 2008 motion of no confidence will be successful, Mr. Stéfane Dion, Mr. Jack Layton, and Mr. Gilles Duceppe – the leaders of the Liberal, NDP, and Bloc Quebecois (“BQ”) parties, respectively – did, on December 1, 2008 sign a pact with one another titled “A Policy Accord to Address the Present Economic Crisis” (the “Policy Accord”). It is widely acknowledged that the purpose of the Policy Accord is to impress upon you that a Liberal-NDP coalition would have the confidence of the House of Commons, such that it could form a viable government.

As a citizen, as a lawyer in Ontario, and as leader of the Freedom Party of Canada, I am writing to draw your attention to the grave impact that the Policy Accord has upon your exercise of the authority to call upon Mr. Dion to form a Liberal-NDP government. Specifically, were you to call upon Mr. Dion to form a Liberal-NDP coalition government, the terms of the Policy Accord would result in unconstitutional government. My reasons follow.

At present, the House of Commons has 77 Members of Parliament (MPs) who are members of the Liberal Party, 37 who are members of the NDP, 49 who are members of the BQ, and one Independent. Therefore, a Liberal-NDP coalition would lack the confidence of the House if it did not maintain the confidence of the 49 members of the BQ.

Under the terms of the Policy Accord, Mr. Gilles Duceppe, the Leader of the BQ, agrees to be bound by the following:

“The Bloc Quebecois will neither move nor will it support any motions of non-confidence in the Government during the term of its support for this agreement…” (Policy Accord, page 3, paragraph 5)

Our constitutional system of Responsible Government is designed to protect the governed from tyrannical or undemocratic governance by requiring that Canada’s government be replaced – with or without a general election – should its conduct lead it to lose the confidence of a majority of MPs. However, the above-quoted passage from the Policy Accord binds the hands of BQ MPs and muzzles them. The Policy Accord, by design, prevents Bloc MPs from expressing a lack of confidence in the government until the Policy Accord expires (not earlier than June 30, 2010). Thus, if you invite the formation of a coalition Liberal-NDP government, Responsible Government will be suspended until at least June 30, 2010.

The Policy Accord was signed to encourage you to believe that a Liberal-NDP government will have the confidence of the House. However, in reality, the Policy Accord guarantees not well-reasoned confidence in the government, but unquestioning deference to its every whim. It removes from every BQ MP the defensive weapon of a non-confidence vote, and replaces that weapon with a white flag of surrender. The signatories to the Policy Accord are, in reality, saying to you that a Liberal-NDP coalition would be stable because the constitutional method of defeating a government would be rendered null and void for at least 18 months.

Excellency, the Constitution of Canada is the source of all governmental authority in this country, including your own authority. It identifies our country as both free and democratic. Its intended function is to ensure that Canada remains free and democratic. However, were you to call upon Mr. Dion to form a Liberal-NDP coalition government, the Policy Accord would undermine the procedural machinery of our constitution, deprive all Canadians of the constitution’s protection, and imperil both freedom and democracy. No degree of reckless, oppressive, tyrannical, or anti-democratic behavior on the part of the government could be answered with a motion of no confidence until at least June 30, 2010.

Excellency, for the reasons stated above, I respectfully request that you exercise your authority to dissolve Parliament in the event that there is a call for same by the Prime Minister of Canada.

Sincerely,

Paul McKeever
Leader, Freedom Party of Canada

c.c., Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Mr. Stéfane Dion, Mr. Jack Layton, Mr. Gilles Duceppe

Comments

16 Responses to “An Open Letter From Paul McKeever to Michaëlle Jean, Governor General of Canada”

  1. Leslie L Petry on December 3rd, 2008 8:38 am

    Your Excellency:

    I urge you to make clear to Mr. Dion that you will not be trapped by his conniving and that if he proceeds with his scheme, you will dissolve parliament and force him to face the wrath of Canadians. Canadians made it clear during the election that we have NO confidence in Mr. Dion to lead the country, especially during these difficult economic times.

    Respectfully,
    Les L. Petry
    Edmonton, Alberta

  2. Al Smith on December 3rd, 2008 10:17 am

    My wife and I feel that the colalition is nothing but an unlawful coup,
    to gain power against the will of the majority of the Canadian people.
    The colalition is trying to come in to power through the back door.
    We must pray that God will give wisdom to our Govenor General she makes her decision.

  3. Rhonda Tymms on December 3rd, 2008 10:17 am

    Your Excellency,

    I also urge you to look at what this “Coalition Government” will do to Canada. We are supposedly a demorcratic country but Mr. Dion, Mr. Layton and Mr. Duceppe have completely disregarded that and are no better than the hostile coups leaders we critize and help to remove from power in other countries. Please your Excellency do not let them do this to our country. Let the people speak…again and maybe this time Mr. Dion will get the picture!

  4. Al Smith on December 3rd, 2008 10:34 am

    Your Excellency,

    We pray that God will give you wisdom in your decision in regard to the planned take over by the opposition colalition.
    My wife and I feel that the Canadian people put the Conservatives in power and that it should stay that way. At this time we believe that Parliament should close down for the Christmas season to give us peace and let the parties consider the consequences of there motives.

    Respectfully,
    Al and Joy Smith

  5. ken peters on December 3rd, 2008 11:56 am

    coalition crooks try to steal an electiom. are we a third world country?what’s next a military coupe?viva la revollution.

  6. Steven C Collins on December 3rd, 2008 12:03 pm

    Democracy is the will of the people, not the will of the statesmen.

  7. Dave Paul, Thunder Bay, Ontario on December 3rd, 2008 12:54 pm

    This coalition government is nonsense. The balance of power is going to be in the hands of a separatist party. I don’t care what agreement the BLOC signed..they will demand concessions and they will threaten the coalition at every turn if they don’t get them. The only clear winner in this is Duceppe God forbid. What are our egotistical opposition party leaders thinking..? Are they so blinded by hate and power that they are allowing the devil in the back door..? Layton and Dion should get over themselves and stop this crazy nonsense. I am just an ordinary Canadian but we are all talking about his shite everywhere and I can tell you now if this don’t stop voter wrath against the NDP and Liberals will be unprecented.

    Dave Paul
    Thunder Bay

  8. kevin on December 3rd, 2008 12:57 pm

    A coalition government must be comprised of “Her Majesty’s Loyal Coalition” ,and while the Bloc Quebecois will have no seats in a cabinet, they will nonetheless, be essential for a coalition to exist. The Bloc Quebecois by their own declaration, NOT loyal to canada, and thus CANNOT be a part of any coalition government, therefore an election must be called.

  9. Rob Dupont on December 3rd, 2008 6:40 pm

    Your Excellency:
    My wife and I are opposed to this hijacking of our country. I am not an educated person, and I don’t know exactly what all the legalities are. But I do know I cast a vote and it was counted like everyone elses. The results of the elections are what they are. I believe the coalitions is having a total disreguard for our democracy and I am furious, as is my wife. The right thing would be for you to listen to both sides and talk the coalition down. If this cannot be done, I believe it s up to the canadian voters to decide. Please pass this onto the coalition that they have deceived me and the country. We will not forget.
    Thank you.

  10. ruth pallek on December 3rd, 2008 10:49 pm

    Your Excellency:
    Listening to the parlimentry debate on Tuesday night was an eye opener for me. Common courtesy was not in the house. Mr. Harrper, being our prime minister did not get the respect he deserved. We voted him in and he has not been voted out.
    My children ,even in their nasty squabbles have more patience and respect for each other then the so called leaders of our country. Spitefullness and disrespect was the order of the day. The whole world watched, as Canada’s brilliant leaders slid into the pit of stupidity. We know that money. plays a huge role in this grab for power and common sense must prevail in this all too important crisis.
    I say no to coalition. Canada needs to be unified, not ripped apart.
    When we look back in history are we making Canada a better country or are we heading for a war within. A house divided against itself cannot stand.
    We have spent enough money on the last vote. Mr Harper needs a chance to prove himself and we need to stand behind him.

  11. Katherine Paradis on December 3rd, 2008 11:20 pm

    As a citizen of Canada I am appalled that the Opposition parties are trying to overthrow a DEMOCRATICALLY elected government. This is nothing more than a power grab from 3 parties that were rejected by the electorate of Canada.

    Please do NOT allow this to happen. Citizens of this fine country are OUTRAGED and ANGRY that this is taking place! Only you have the power to stop this.

    Please for the sake of the country, DO the right thing

  12. DOMINIC J.S. POESIAT on December 4th, 2008 5:08 am

    I am so angry that I have trouble forming cohesive thought .
    But I still can . Let us for a moment think about what these
    so called leaders are telling Canadians .We the ” coalition ”
    government of non – elected megalomaniacs are 101%
    concerned with advancing our agenda because we are
    bitter and small minded . Further more ; our “coalition “of
    little men will ( in this time of economic uncertainty )
    Seek to over throw the elected government because
    we know what’s best for Canada . We , the “coalition”
    Think you – ( the electorate ) should let us ram our ill-
    conceived agenda down your collective throats . We
    the “coalition ” are quite certain you ” the electorate “,
    will be watching American Gladiator and achieve unprecidented
    heights of political apathy .We the political masters
    will advance our agenda because it is what we want.
    Power , money ,We really care .

  13. Brent on December 4th, 2008 8:54 am

    Excellent. Good thinking. I can only hope the Governor General reads this and states that this letter influenced her thinking. You should perhaps be prepared for some attention in the slight chance it happens.

    I’m a little miffed the other comments here haven’t congratulated you on this letter. I just generally see a bunch of random out pouring of frustration, and even worse, leaving fate up to a non existent entity.

  14. Brent on December 4th, 2008 10:52 am

    Wait a minute…if the coalition is proven to be illegal after it has taken power…do we have a death sentence for traitors? Is this Harper’s ultimate plan to finish off his opponents?!?!

  15. Max on December 11th, 2008 9:38 am

    I would be calmer calling a coalition government illegal. Mr. Harper’s Conservatives didn’t win a majority government. Therefore, technically they are not supported by the majority of Canadians. A coalition government is perfectly legal and valid, and this has existed many times in other countries that have more than 2 parties.

  16. Paul McKeever on December 11th, 2008 1:41 pm

    Hi Max:

    I agree that a coalition government is perfectly legal and valid. My argument is not that coalition governments are illegal, but that the Policy Accord would render the coalition government unconstitutional by suspending the Responsible Government that otherwise would exist, even with a coalition.

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