Jacob Allin

This shit happens in every party. We should ban non-citizens from the process and have Elections Canada oversee, at the minimum observe, the process according to a party’s own constitution. They oversee the finance, they should oversee the balloting. This is just beyond embarrassing blue, red and orange.

Elections Canada (and the provincial equivalents) should be overseeing party nominations according to the party’s own guidelines. A neutral third party. This nonsense has got to stop.

This is an outrageous misrepresentation of how parliamentary committees are formed. Committees should be constructed to reflect the composition of the House of Commons as determined by Canadians. The voters spoke in the last election and gave the Liberals a minority. Canada is still a democracy. We have never seen a government transform a minority into a majority via enticing opposition members to cross the floor. MacKinnon's "long-standing principle" is one day old, invented post-hoc to justify the Liberals' power grab. I have never seen a government do more damage to our parliamentary institutions than this one. #cdnpoli #cdnpolitics

@davidportier 10 years in majority government makes anyone arrogant. Frankly, I’m disappointed in the staff around him who thought this was a good idea, some of whom are my closest friends.

So now they are selling the plane? Did they think they wouldn’t get caught or are they that arrogant? Crazy.

I am just absolutely gobsmacked that they let it get this far. Frankly, I’m more disappointed in those around him, who I know and love dearly; because this was not a decision he made alone. Those people around him, I thought, were generally pretty good people with heads on their shoulders. I guess 10 years in power changed them for the worse.

In the middle of an affordability crisis, this government found $28.9 million to spend on a private jet. Not for housing. Not for education. Not for healthcare. Not for people. A private jet. Out of touch doesn’t even begin to cover it. #onpoli

Doug Ford was elected by riding on the reputation of his late brother, Rob Ford. Rob Ford would be disgusted by this private jet.

I’m a Conservative… but I’m begging us to get serious. I’m begging on my knees for someone else to write his speeches. We can disagree with Mark Carney all day long on policy. Fair game. Necessary, even. But saying the guy has an “illusion of knowledge” is like saying Connor McDavid has an illusion of being able to skate. We don’t win by pretending competence is fake. We win by proving we can do better.

It’s great to have an American President headline Canada 2020! We’re totally not the 51st state guys

@ChessmanPatrick @SpencerFernando That or she’s really just selfish

@jacob_allin @SpencerFernando Absolutely. She recieved something, or they have something on her.

Were Canada to ban floor crossing, we would be suppressing the individual minds of those we elect, and further concentrating power in party leaders. As things stand now, floor crossing protects independence and keeps pressure on leaders to treat their colleagues well lest they watch those colleagues head elsewhere. Floor crossing – and the threat of it – protects us from a system where those we elect turn into mindless drones serving nothing more than the centralized will of ‘the leader.’

Floor crossings. I’ve commented on this topic before. I don’t like it. Regardless of which political party or MP is involved. And before you’re tempted to lecture me on how Canada’s Parliamentary system works based on the Westminster model - spare me…I understand it: •I understand that historically voters elect the individual; •that floor crossing is an accepted feature of that system; •that it has occurred throughout our parliamentary history; •that all parties have engaged in it at some point; and •that both the Liberals and Conservatives have historically chosen not to restrict it. Today’s reality, however, is very different. Most voters don’t primarily vote for the individual - they vote for the Party, its principles, policies, and stated mandate. If you’re one of the few who truly votes only for the person, good for you…but you’re in the minority. Floor crossing cuts directly against that reality. It overrides the mandate that voters thought they were supporting and, in my view, erodes confidence in our democratic process. Public reaction in recent years and months has made it clear that many Canadians are uncomfortable with the practice. I’ve heard the counterargument that restricting floor crossing would somehow suppress the mind or independence of elected officials. I don’t buy it. If an MP genuinely can no longer support their Party, there are reasonable options. For example, requiring that they sit as an independent respects both their personal convictions and the voters’ original choice - without the cost and disruption of a by-election (which, admittedly, can be expensive). Is sitting as an independent a perfect reflection of voter intent? No. But it is far more respectful than transferring that mandate to a different party that voters did not choose. At the end of the day, this isn’t about limiting individual thought. It’s about respecting the collective will of voters. And in today’s political reality, floor crossing doesn’t protect that will - it overrides it. And to think that a minority government could effectively turn itself into a majority through such a practice is disturbing, to say the least. The will of voters was for a minority government. That should not be altered or facilitated through floor crossings. And trust me - I would feel the same regardless of which party benefits. It’s time for a change - one that better reflects how Canadians actually vote today.

That’s certainly another option! Frankly though, MPs shouldn’t have to cross the floor or sit as independent to express disagreement within the ranks. That being said, after watching more of Ms. Gladu, I suspect there are other reasons for her floor crossing - none of them reasonable.

@jacob_allin @SpencerFernando Good. Then become an Independent. Simple.

@Prominent_Bryan Read my latest, Bryan. I don’t know why we bother pretending to be parliamentary anymore.

Even if you think (wrongly in effect) that we vote for people, not parties, then telling MPs they can't join another party shouldn't be a problem! The person is still there, elected. So zero problems

Leaders should have to do more work to lobby their own caucus members than with use of threats of being kicked out of caucus. Alas, centuries of Parliamentary tradition has been replaced by pseudo-presidentialism. But this is the fault of Members of Parliament. They could restore their pseudo-independence if they so chose. Paid $200k plus per annum to be someone else’s mouthpiece, makes me wonder why we pretend to be a Parliamentary Democracy at all? Just adopt a Republican style system.

@RodKahx Andrew Scheer

Who is the next CPC MP to cross the floor? Wrong answers only.

This👇 Sadly, many of our newest Canadians and residents have no idea the importance this battle had in forming a Canadian national identity, but even more so, many born in Canada lack basic knowledge of our important early Canadian institutions like the transcontinental railroad. Patriotism is passed down, and sadly a whole generation or more lack it. @jkenney Given the constitutional responsibility of education resting with the provinces, and this being a nationwide challenge, how do we fix this?

@AZ_Intel_ Huh?

Trump: "Iran is doing a very poor job, dishonorable some would say, of allowing Oil to go through the Strait of Hormuz. That is not the agreement we have!"

Marilyn Gladu is one of the most socially Conservative MP in the CPC, and she represents one of the most Conservative riding in Ontario, her decisions to cross the floor to Liberal is literally insane. At least other floor-crossers actually represents competitve ridings