Well the omnibus crime bill is out. It’s an expensive pile of solutions looking for problems, but I’ll leave that to others.
Instead, let’s talk about under-reported ‘crime’:
Justice Minister Rob Nicholson unveiled the bill at a Brampton news conference, not in the House of Commons. A series of cabinet ministers marched before cameras to promote the moves.
I’m reminded of Ernie Eves presenting a provincial budget at a car parts plant. The point is to frame and control the message by taking the process of presenting a bill out of Ottawa, where it belongs, and to a controlled audience.
We, of course, pay for this, while still paying for Parliament, where the introduction of bills belong. We pay for airfare, staff, equipment and the “parading of cabinet ministers.” No mention of gazebos.
Austerity, indeed.
