Four Questions? Unbelievable Playground

(c)2011 r.a. kukkee

May 2nd approaches .  With the Canadian Federal election and campaigns in full swing, it is not surprising to see the playground empty. It is not  surprising to see, but difficult to understand  why any leader of any honest political party would  reasonably find it necessary to  "limit" reporters to FOUR questions a day. 

Four questions that are supposed to provide  enough "answers"  that will in turn somehow magically convince 34,000,000 election-exhausted  Canadians that a Conservative majority is deserved after a  problematic minority? 

Would a majority Liberal government be any better?

 Think about it.   We're more than  a bit skeptical.

Is the "Opposition" any better out on the campaign trail?  You guess.   

Here at Incoming Bytes, everyone is allowed to draw their own  opinion at will,  but  the majority of  election-savvy Canadians recognize  that campaigns are artificial events designed to deceive.     This is not just a policy to make an already tightly-scripted,  memorized,  highly-controlled plastic campaign  more effective,  but rather to  guard the fort and keep the  hidden agenda hidden more effectively, so please....the electorate does know better.

All Canadians know that such tools are  official  Party Muzzles  for ANY  politician that is almost guaranteed to make a mistake when tired,   grab someone by the throat,  stutter,  stammer, stammer a horrible gaffe , blow a line, promise the sky,  slobber all over the baby,  say the wrong thing,  stumble into enemy territory, insert both feet into  the foaming mouth, ---and  thereby throw  the "perfect"  political  campaign  off track, out into space, --or more likely,  as we commonly observe,   bury it  up to the hips in  the inevitable pile of crumpets out behind the horse barn. 

Such are political campaigns, nice try, boys.... but they do NOTHING to answer  REAL questions.  Funny,  the truth always comes out. 

We have questions. Real ones.  Not "approved" by the event organizer, changed to suit the campaign manager, or tweaked for an optimal  photo op.

• Just who IS stealing the election here?
•  Who tried to create a coalition in 2004 and is pretending otherwise?
•  Who has the WORST attendance record in parliament? 
• Does ANYONE deserve a majority? 
• Which Political party has NOT been scandalized or corrupted in the last 40 years?
• Who has told the most blatant, willful lies?
• Who has made the most inflated  promises, knowing full well they can not be kept?
• Who is buying the Canadian electorate with their own money? 
• Why do we still have a Senate which does nothing but cost taxpayers more every year? 
• Why are corrupt politicians allowed to collect fat Senate pensions?
•  Why is a  treasonous, regional separatist  party allowed to sit in our House of Commons ? 
•  Why are Canadians subsidizing petroleum companies when consumers are being gouged and gasoline is over $6.00/ gallon?
• Why are we exporting oil to the U.S. of A.  that has it's own GIGANTIC shale oil reserves? 
• Why are Canadian taxpayers subsidizing the oil sands to export that same oil to the USA ? 
• Why are Seniors in Canada forced to live below the poverty level?
• Why are Canadian troops still in Afghanistan? 
• Why are we buying  $150M per copy F35's  with  no engines?  
• Why did we spend a BILLION dollars on the G-20 summit? 
• Who is INTENT on gutting Canada's universal health care system-- perhaps the best health in the world? 
• Why should Canadians  possibly believe a "majority" would do any better, or more honest ?
•  Why is "fear-mongering" being used instead of common sense and logic? 
• Where are YOU taking OUR Canada??

OOPS.....that's more than four questions ----in  less than five minutes, ...imagine that.  hm.................What are we going to do for the REST of the campaign ? 

Let's face it,  in any political forum,  four questions a day doesn't cut it,,,,,,period.

Let's  cut the bull and call it what it really is,  a canned, memorized campaign  intended to  numb the minds of the election-weary electorate so REAL issues will never be addressed.   

Sadly,  it is clear that Canadians have a right to be skeptical.   Canadians have a right to a better, more responsible and more honest government.   
Get out in the playground and provide some good, honest governance, that's what you're being PAID to do. 

I know one thing; as a skeptical  Canadian voter I  have no intention to vote for "the dishonest". 

That's my opinion  and I'm sticking to it. 

Elections and Political Games: Let's Play " Elections" - and Waste $400M on another Minority

Whaddya mean,  another ELECTION !  **

Not ANOTHER election ! The cat's out of the bag.  
Do tell.   Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his minority government were defeated on Friday so  we "get to go" to the polls on May 2nd.  "  Let's play "Election". 
Why were the Conservatives  defeated?  A vote of non-confidence was brought forward by non-confident Liberals.  A nasty, but predetermined vote.
We're not surprised at all.  Dissolution of the House.  Failure of the Conservatives to maintain the confidence of the House,   get it?  Failure to get along with Jack and Mikey and Gilles  in the playground at Ottawa.   They  "lost the confidence of Canadians" ,  according to Michael Ignatieff, the temporary leader of the Liberals .  Temporary, because his rating as leader is somewhat low and if he doesn't win this election, he'll likely be heading for Harvard. No matter.

So we're having an election, and regardless of cause, effect, or process, there is little else in Canada  more blatantly annoying than being  forced to listen to elected politicians  as they pretend to blame  one another for precipitating an election they equally  swear they do not want. Are we to believe them?  No.
Guess what;   Stop Fibbing,  we all know how it works.   It's a tricky politician's plan to get more  vacation time.   After all, it's  March here in Canada,  it's still cold outside,  and all good politicians  need yet another 6 weeks of  "off-the-trough, fun-sabbatical  quality time,  a.k.a.   a vacation from real work.  The holidays suffered during the winter break from December through to the end of January  were clearly inadequate.
Those same  eager combatants also have expressed a wish to avoid,  at any cost, the  aggregate responsibility of attending to the difficult work of  good governance for our Canada,  the land of frozen beavers, sovereign polar bears and  melting ice packs. No matter.
 Canadians, unbelievably,  in these tough economic times,  are  about to spend  $400,000,000,  and it's  money we should not be throwing away. Break the piggy-banks anyway.
No, it's not going to be spent on anything sensible;  on our behalf,  our political " mystery shoppers"  just bought an election complete with questionable trappings.          
No reason, but would we believe it anyway?  Little credibility seems to reside in Ottawa, perhaps with the exception of a half dozen very specific individuals, but they're too busy mopping the floors to talk to us.
We  will likely end up with yet another  minority government.    The third one, by the way.   Why do we have minority governments?  Non-confidence?  Voter disinterest? Bad weather?   Perhaps another contributing factor is our "unique" party system.   The Bloc Quebecois is allowed to commandeer Federal parliamentary seats without universal representation,  making the achievement of a  majority by other parties much more difficult. That distinct  monopoly seems to be politely ignored as an invisible anchor dragging behind a ghost ship, but apparently has been deemed an acceptable  part of the cost of appeasing Quebec,-- a  political aberration that is unbelievable, inexplicable and  unacceptable to thinking Canadians.
Why complain about it?  Maybe we need another REAL party. Maybe we would vote for Gilles  if they did offer the R.O.C. (rest of Canada) representation, --but alas,  he has no interest in doing so.   Gilles whines for Billions,  and more gifts for Quebec at every opportunity,  --and inevitably, he gets the goodies, so what else is new? 
No matter. On to THIS election that is already hobbled. 
 
 We can only imagine what happened in the House of Commons:

"Mr. Speaker, it seems nobody likes my new budget at all, nobody wants to be nice and play with me,  so don't vote, see if I care,  I'm taking all my toys home,  and if you're nice, you can see it after we win another minority on May 2nd, Mr. Speaker."
 (raucous laughter)

"Mr. Speaker,  we are obligated to listen to a  finance minister from the Honorable member opposite, even if he didn't  buy new shoes,for this important occasion, Mr. Speaker?  But come now,  ..we on this side of the house think the Honorable member across the floor would much prefer to be tossed on a matter of disrespect for Parliament instead of something as boring as a mean-spirited budget, after all..."

"Mr. Speaker, yes, yes,,,,okay,  let's do that instead, --that was a good idea brought forward by the Honorable member across the floor, Mr. Speaker."
(raucous cheering) 
"  Mr. Speaker,   like 34 Million  other Honorable,  vote-weary Canadians,  I'm  a little less skeptical now,  I see there is hope after all,  seeing such perky cut-and-dried  collusion to create the latest reason for an election we all want--er, don't want,  -- and for  the fine posturing, the offended demeanor,  and offensive childish exchanges observed in this House of Commons, all members of the House are to be congratulated for such a fine performance, Mr. Speaker."
(clapping)

"Mr. Speaker, along the same lines, why should we not all just get along and be happy, Mr. Speaker?  After all, Canadians, cold or not, have much to be happy about,  do they not, Mr. Speaker?
This   Honorable member suggests that Canadians should  all be happy and allow their duly elected representatives to  spend $400 million dollars yet AGAIN, especially  for an election all of our  venerable leaders  equally  insist  they do not want, Mr. Speaker, even if  we all know better, --oops,,,...is that camera turned off, Mr. Speaker?" 

"Mr. Speaker,  our committee  recommends that  we turn the cameras back on, clap our hands in unison, sing  "kumbaya",  and pass out out kudos to our political children hauling back huge salaries,  while SENIORS live  in poverty and received  a microscopic raise of  $1.56 Cdn. -- after waiting years,  Mr. Speaker,  because that was, after all, quite a good raise.   In the meantime, Mr. Speaker, our Honorable members will  busy themselves in the last few minutes of Parliament doing important things, like  handing out more  major tax credits to our  huge Corporate interests, Mr. Speaker". 
( cheering )
" Mr. Speaker,  I wish to add that we should additionally  feel all  warm and fuzzy as we celebrate the integrity of our leaders and enjoy watching  official funding  departmental  documents change  magically with black-marker,  and pay particular attention to  enjoying that last moment protocol.  Canadians should be  especially proud of this accomplishment, and celebrate the fact that any departmental document might  be adequately changed by erstwhile Ministers who are not obligated to explain "how or why" documentation is changed,  Mr. Speaker."  

"  Mr. Speaker, one  further  issue of great importance, let us all cheer wildly as we spend UNKNOWN  BILLIONS of dollars on that fleet of nice shiny F-35 fighter jets at over $60M  per copy, a  fighter jet  that cannot fly anywhere near the speed of our own Canadian Avro Arrow,  an aerospace industry that our  Honorable Dief  the Chief  and  fellow  Conservatives  killed inexplicably 50 years ago, Mr. Speaker, at the cost of 14,000 jobs in the aerospace industry, --and  Mr. Speaker, let it be known  that we are still  working diligently  at replacing those jobs  with  wait-positions  and other highly skilled jobs in our job-creation strategy we are so  happily advertising as we speak."   

"The Honorable members should also vibrate with pride as we recall the "Billion dollar G20 security party complete with fake lakes,  Mr. Speaker.  Such clever environmental planning and  spending is required to ensure the integrity of the Canadian dollar is not limited to necessary projects like million-dollar fences or spent foolishly lifting Canadians out of poverty."  
 (raucous laughter)

"Mr. Speaker, we are all Canadians here , so let us truly  jump up and down for joy,  as all of our Honorable members  do their sworn duty to Canadians.  Let us now act like Grade IV students in  a 'do or die' food fight as we fling  stale  bologna sandwiches at each other across the floor of the House.  Mr. Speaker, all Honorable members are reminded to participate vigorously,  shouting  and pointing and jumping up and down with indignity --at least  whilst on camera, for the benefit of their  attentive constituents, Mr. Speaker". 

" Mr. Speaker, finally,  let us encourage all Canadians to express delirious  delight for the coming opportunity to listen to an  endless round of lies, attack ads, accusations,  counter-accusations,  promises, and instructions on how to clothespin their  noses  to the reek of the  endless pile of political manure that will be shoveled with very large, expensive shovels, Mr. Speaker."
-- By the way, do you have any Dijon and mayonnaise  handy up there for our new coalition sandwiches,  Mr. Speaker?"
(Cheering and whacking of  an old, but re-soled  shoe on the desk of the Finance Minister)
 
Let us now be serious.
How fitting, and how predictable the calling of this unnecessary election,  when the  Conservative minority,  a.k.a,  "the  Harper government", as they so aptly "branded" themselves, is momentarily ahead in the polls.   Do the Conservatives  believe  they actually have a shot at a majority simply because they are slightly ahead in meaningless polls?    It is little wonder they  so quickly  thereafter  offered a meaningless budget to ensure it would be rejected by all parties, a budget  specifically offered with no amendments desired, considered, or accepted.
The Honorable Minister of Finance did not put on the traditional "new shoes" so often displayed.  He doesn't seem to get it, does he?  Many seniors live in poverty and cannot afford to install new soles on their old worn-out shoes.

  The fact that the "Harper government"  just been voted "in contempt of parliament,  disrespectful of democracy and parliament",  unethical and dripping with scandal   is almost a moot point in spite of the indignity act played so beautifully by Michael the Harvard man,  Honorable Jack,  Gilles the whiner, and  Elizabeth the Green?  
Haven't the majority of politician incumbents been unethical, dripping with scandal, names besmirched with problems of some kind, at one time or the other,  most notably just before election time?

Watch out. Be forewarned.  On May 2nd, the world will come to a complete halt, the nuclear disaster in Japan won't matter, the war in Libya will halt,  and the earth itself shall stop rotating, while  Canadians drop everything to trundle through the slush and snow,  hold their  noses, and vote for the best of the worst collection of politicians Canada has seen for many years.
After all, isn't that the Canadian way?  As one of my smartest colleagues observes, "We shall see what we shall see." 

**Note:  With thanks,  photo credit courtesy of:     http://iruntheinternet.com/  

Branded "Harper Government" : Big Ego and Bigger Mistake

Here at  Incoming Bytes   we could not believe  that Prime Minister Stephen Harper had initiated, encouraged, or allowed documentation from the Government of Canada to be "branded"  as being from the "Harper Government".   Really!  Are we being just a tad  egotistical?   Does that mean we have the "Obama Government"  next door?  Was there any discussion on the subject, public input, or warning in advance?  No.   Did we  hold a referendum to approve that re-branding?    No.   
Let us look at this logically. This will take a LOT of thinking:
 30 Million Canadians  support the Government of Canada.   End of story.  

 We  have no interest in supporting  a  "Harper Government",  an "Ignatieff Government,  a  "Layton Government",  and may God rescue us from   a  "Duceppe" government.   The Government of Canada is not private property, and NO government in Canada is privately owned  in any  forum, private OR public .  To name a government or brand it privately, to believe it is private and exclusive,  or to believe it should be,  seems more than totally arrogant and  is clearly  a  "let us lock our politicians  up quickly"  moment in Ottawa.  The fact is,  WE OBJECT.

Why?   At last observation,  30 million Canadians were fully cognizant of the fact  that the Government of Canada was under  minority control of the Conservative Party of Canada,  with the Opposition parties   being the Liberal Party of Canada,  the  New Democratic Party of Canada, and  the thorn-in-the-side Bloc Quebecois,  which , we will again  remind our Government of Canada,   has no business being in Canada's House of Commons simply because it does not run candidates or offer representation of any kind  to Canadians outside of the Province of Quebec.

Back to branding.  When big ego and "Naming a government after me "  becomes more important than good governance,  it is  seriously time to  look at making changes in Ottawa.  
That decision was a  big mistake. Over the years, Government(S) of Canada have made OTHER  LARGE, EXPENSIVE mistakes, such as  ADscam and the useless Billion-Dollar Long gun registry, and "Fake Lakes",  and the Billion-dollar G-20  Summit Security Overkill  Fiasco. 

Have politicians forgotten what the  mandate of a REAL government IS ?   The ONLY genuine mandate of government is to do collectively for the people what we as individuals cannot do for ourselves, and to  provide one voice in leadership,  --at least until that leadership is corrupted and deteriorated with arrogance and foolishness.
All governments become arrogant, but when arrogance is combined with more  breaking of  the rules, such as  altering documentation at will,  using "In-Out" funds contrary to Election Canada rules, and using public office to offend  the"very ethnic" riding electorate-- " the Government of Canada "  becomes  a HUGE collective liability that may well drive  a well-earned  wooden stake through the heart of the Conservative Party of Canada, -- Ironically,  --a political party that MAY have more easily won a majority election without such blatantly foolish and  thereby seemingly intentional gaffes. 

(As an individual, I half-expected that kind of convoluted self-aggrandizement from the late P.E. Trudeau,  and  "today's  Iggy"  both  self-styled intellects,   or perhaps from Gilles the whiner,  but not from our distinguished, seemingly logical,  elected leader.
I am disappointed to see these developments,  because relatively speaking, our "economy" is doing well, globally. The Government of Canada has made some good decisions, and some mistakes.) 
We believe Re-branding the Government of Canada is one offensive mistake that Canadians will object to strenuously. 
Hm......I bet Jean Chretien is mad as hell he didn't think of it first. 

Now we KNOW there's a Jack-Rabbit Election coming Soon

A Jack-rabbit start towards a federal election is now evident.  We  KNOW there's an election coming in Canada, most likely a spring election too, when politicians are seen  out buying influence. 
Jack Layton, the leader of the federal New Democratic Party  was seen  helping Chinese Canadians  celebrate their New Year, which coincidentally happens to be  the 'Year of the Rabbit." --the Jack Rabbit, that is.       
We do not know if  this latest effort will help Jack  and his New Democrats  or not, as  the signals are just a bit confusing;  
In Toronto's Chinatown,  Jack was  handing out chocolate dollars,  -- which one must admit is a Conservative sum;  Prime Minister Stephen Harper will be envious at Jack's ingenuity and careful control of his budget:
The loot being handed out is stashed in a Red envelope, which is Liberal,  and Michael Ignatieff will  undoubtedly wish he had thought of it first;
Jack  handed out one to every pedestrian pushing a stroller and every  businessman on the Bloc  while he was at it,  just to be safe.
  My pointed question must be, " Now where's MY chocolate dollar?"  I love chocolate.
 Everyone should get a chocolate dollar,  Chinese or not, that would be the Democratic way. Canadian politics at it's best-- sweet promises.
Happy Chinese New Year to everyone!   

                                                                                                     photo: Flickr

A Canadian Federal Election "Nobody" Wants......

Parliament Buildings,  Ottawa,  Ontario

 According to my favourite  political guru,  CBC's  Rex Murphy,   nobody wants an election, that's why we're going to have one, and soon.  That sounds logical doesn't it? 
He says,-- and I can only  paraphrase his unique phraseology and chronology, but the gist is as follows:
"The Liberals don't want an election
The Conservatives don't want an election
The Bloc Quebecois doesn't want an election
The New Democrats don't want an election.
 so--we're going to have an election. "


About 85% of Canadians don't want an election either, Rex noted,  but it's more or less guaranteed we WILL have an election -and soon ! 
Rex is probably right. If I have to believe anybody, I'll believe Rex. He's honest. Rex doesn't pull punches. Rex tells it like it is.  
Why ? You may ask:   " Rex  is not a politician"  is the right answer.
Here are some more strange facts:
" We will have an election because 15% of some hereto unidentified fraction of our over-taxed, misinformed population seems to think we NEED an election".  We deny such illogical logic.
  "We will have an election because Canada  actually needs an election".  NO. Canada most certainly does NOT need an expensive election.
  "We will have an election because it is TIME to have an election".  Huh?  Who said so?
How about:  "We will have an election because each and every one of the political leaders are being secretive and actually dishonest about their true desires to seize power, therefore they MUST hold an election."
Could that be the reason?   YES. 
Each of the political leaders also  has their own private and  not-so-secret reason for WANTING an election.  The polls look good.   The conservatives are leading.  Prime Minister Stephen Harper believes he can win a majority, and in response to that happy state of mind,  even though he is out touring the world so that he doesn't have to answer any questions or take responsibility for negative attack-doggy ads,  he must have already authorized his minions to start negative attack-doggy ads on his primary opposition  target,  Michael Ignatieff of the Liberal party. 
 Mr. Ignatieff  is  pictured as shouting "yes yes yes"in one of those ads.  Said to be out of context, no matter. That's what negative attack-doggy ads do, they attack out of context.  That must be  Michael shouting his approval of holding an election, but it is also  reported that Michael seems to be an opportunist Prime Minister wannabe intellectual, who seems to imagine that his vision of the country, when he is IN Canada,  is superior in every way to that of Prime Minister Stephen Harper's vision of the same snow-bound block of real estate.  
What is it Michael  wants ?  Oh, right, the real estate,  he wants to live at 24 Sussex Drive  just because Pierre Trudeau  did.  In doing so, so he  can also tour the world endlessly like Prime Minister Harper is already doing at this time  whilst attempting to pretend he does not want an election.
The Bloc Quebecois leader Gilles Duceppe doesn't want an election, and is even willing to use extortion  and /or  blackmail Ottawa into giving Quebec $5B, failing which he will magically "want" an election,  just so he and his elitist friends can retain comfy seats in the Canadian Parliament whilst resting betwixt feeble attempts to separate Quebec from Canada, but simultaneously multi-tasking and whining and wheedling more money out of Ottawa, trying to milk the cow dry before it  dies.
Mr. Jack Layton is secretly hoping Gilles and the  Bloc Quebecois will NOT succeed at their attempt to  blackmail  $5B  from the feds to support the upcoming federal budget, thereby forcing the election.  Jack is pretty straight forward.   Jack has the best of both worlds.  He doesn't have to stress himself, he knows the NDP isn't likely to win a Federal election anyway, so why worry about it?  With the Liberals not supporting the budget already a promise, however,  Jack is going to be in the driver's seat, and do his best to kill off the excessive Corporate Tax cuts that are promised by the Conservatives.  So.....we're having an election.


Conclusion of the day:   No wonder Canadians do not trust politics OR politicians.   Where have we heard that before?  Hey, Rex, I know....at Incoming BYTES,  of course...

The Bloc: Blackmailing Canada

 Caution:  This post almost contains references to POLITICS 

Now I’ve heard it all.   I do  prefer to use my time  discussing the future of society,  brilliant advances in civilization,   amazing discoveries in science, energy and  technology, explore the unknown, and extrapolate and interpret happenings that may affect the future of world citizens everywhere.  I even hand out kudos to humanity when it shines.
 Today is an exception. Political parties  posturing and  threatening to call an unnecessary Federal election raises the ire and the blood pressure. It always has, and always will. 
Today is  also worse than usual;   I  have to admit that every year since I have been observing politics,  the actions of some  sleazy politicians in Canada  have shown lack common  of sense,  tested Federal-provincial relations, and  blackened the eye of democracy, but some border on criminality . 
Canadians are being blackmailed by the Bloc Québécois, yet again.  
Our leader of the Bloc Québécois, Mr. Gilles Duceppe, Ottawa’s  favourite  political thorn-in-the-side  has now demanded 5 Billion dollars from the Federal government to appease  Quebec,-- once again. 
The huge amount of money is   his “ price tag”  for supporting the minority Conservative government’s upcoming Federal budget.  Duceppe  wants $16Billion,   but he’ll “settle for” $5 Billion and laugh all the way to the bank.   
Will Stephen Harper, our minority Prime Minister  turn both  Gilles’ latest demand and his illusions of grandeur  down, which he  must do if our elected Conservative government has any  spine at all?   He must consider that  Bloc support will  be removed for  his  upcoming federal budget.  A federal election would undoubtedly result.
 Michael Ignatieff’s  Liberals have already made it quite clear they are not going to support the budget, leaving the key to the budget  in the hand of Jack Layton’s NDP if Bloc support is removed. Jack’s agenda floats a different direction,   a direction better debated when the politics of convenience is discussed.   
To the politically-correct mild-mannered Liberal  politicians sitting in luxury in Ottawa, Duceppe’s latest  threat may seem to be “it’s just our weirdo  colleague and  friend Gilles foaming at the mouth” yet again.     To the NDP and independents,  it may be “Gilles  whining about inequalities again and  the raw deal he imagines Quebec has been suffering from, yet again”.
   “Yet again” is the key and common thread......  Enough is enough. 
To the Conservative Party of Canada, this threat has so far only been  labeled as  “hypocritical” by the government's Quebec lieutenant, Natural Resources Minister Christian Paradis .
---Sorry, Christian, accepting this outrageous demand as merely  being “hypocritical” is not good enough. 
To ordinary Canadians, it looks like blackmail. It smells like blackmail.  Let us call it what it seems to be.  Blackmail. Childish political blackmail, to be sure, and   another example of the childish political gamesmanship  we are all so SICK of, but it has all of the appearance  of blackmail by the Bloc.  If not blackmail, it is extortion.  
Canada has NO  need for an election at this point.  Elections cost many millions of dollars, and wasteful,  unnecessary expenditure which overtaxed  Canadian taxpayers do NOT need. or want, political “spin” applied or not.
Therefore, at Incoming BYTES, pointed and not-so-funny questions should  again be asked in the House of Parliament .    The reader can decide what the answer should be, laughable or not:  


Q: Mr. Speaker, since when does the Government of Canada give in to minority political party  blackmail?
A:   Maybe WikiLeaks will give us the official “in camera” answer to that one.  My guess is, if Quebec is involved, pretty much every time.  Does anyone have  Julian’s number handy?  
Q: Mr. Speaker, since the Bloc Québécois does not represent a single  Canadian outside of the Province of Quebec, why is the Bloc Québécois  allowed seats  in the Federal  House of Parliament? 
A:   They would get tired standing all the time.  Also because collectively,  insecure, “politically-correct” politicians past and present  do not have enough spine to do the right thing and  toss the pikers out . Refer to the first question again.
Q:   Mr. Speaker, if the Bloc insists on being  allowed to vacation and rest themselves in the House of Parliament, when will they run candidates and offer representation to the REST of Canadians?

A: Never. Are you dreaming?   The rest of Canadians are not a factor in the prime directive of the Bloc, which is to remove Quebec from Canada after all blackmail requests to drain the Federal treasury are submitted and approved.
Q: Mr. Speaker, how much longer does the rest of Canada have to live under the threat of yet another  referendum for the separation of Quebec?  

A: Not much longer.   Ya’ really mean that?  (laughter)   Canadians will soon grow sick of separation referendums and even more sick of  being blackmailed more than two or three times a year.
Q: Mr. Speaker, does Gilles Duceppe remember that Quebec is divisible if Canada is divided ?  Does he not understand  the concept?

A:   No.  Gilles and his predecessors believe that all Quebecers, including English-speaking and ethnic minorities from the world over will insist on enjoying repressive French-Only signs, French-only schools,  and  “language police” and other similar political  policies of expedience  dreamed up for the mutual enjoyment of Quebec’s  exclusive distinct society of Francophones.
Q:   Mr. Speaker, what does Gilles do with the $8Billion in annual provincial equalization payments he  receives every year?
A:   (laughter)  Out of order, out of order !   Better ask Gilles that one.  Concrete bridges collapse regularly, and Gilles is always demanding more money,  if that helps rephrase the question.
Q:   Mr. Speaker, what is the real  purpose behind the blackmailing of the rest of Canada?  
A:   As always, the stock answer is “  the Bloc Québécois will be standing up for Quebec to ensure Canadians become angry enough at being blackmailed”  so  they will eventually  hold a referendum and  throw Quebec out  of confederation.  Oops,,did I say that?
Q: Mr. Speaker, when will the rest of  Canadians put a stop to this charade and  be offered a referendum to vote Quebec out of Canada?  
A:  You will be able to vote soon after Gilles is finished blackmailing the rest of Canada, and voters awake to the fact they have once again given in to Quebec blackmail. ...oopsie-daisy, I didn’t mean to give away any official secrets.
Q: Mr. Speaker, how much territory do you think a separate Quebec run by King Gilles would end up with ?
A: A couple of square kilometers, probably  some place close to old Quebec City.
Q:   Mr. Speaker, could you explain why?
A:    Because the Bloc Québécois  needs somewhere to display their culture and wear their elegant purple smoking jackets as they complain bitterly  about their feet burning from the salt water flooding their boots.
Q:   Mr. Speaker, .....are we allowed any other questions,   Mr. Speaker?
A:    Just a moment, I’ll ask Mr. Duceppe for permission...

Conclusion of the Day:     No wonder Canadians do not trust politics OR politicians.
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