Dictatorial Powers! Woo Hoo!

Tony Valeri, the government House Leader has changed around the dates for the opposition days (in which the opposition parties could move motions of non-confidence).

And his reasoning, was just so undemocratic and dictatorial that it surprised me how open he was about it.

He claimed the following things:

1) The opposition parties want to call an election. (thereby admitting that his government does not have the confidence of the elected house)

2) That it was his job and his duty to make sure that the opposition parties did not get their way and to make sure that "parliament works".

That's right. We just heard the government house leader spit on the basic foundations of responsible government.

If the government does not have the confidence of the house, and if it uses tactical methods to prevent the house from expressing itself democratically, where does that leave us? Surely we can not claim to be a responsible democracy. Surely this proves and showcases the anti-democratic strains of the Liberal Party that have been so painfully obvious for all these years. This just takes it to a new level: allowing the government to carry forward legislation that does not test the confidence of the house, in order to keep this government alive as long as is possible against the will of parliament's elected officials.

This is.... like taking Canada back to 1840. Well, for the time being at least, until the opposition days come back.