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Politics : Prime Minister Jean Chretien
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To: Lazarus_Long who wrote (96)11/20/2002 1:58:21 AM
From: SofaSpud  Read Replies (2) of 443
 
A parliamentary system has checks and balances in it.

It used to. Originally the first minister was simply the guy who had a reasonable assurance of receiving the majority of the votes in the House of Commons. Individual MPs had considerable clout, and they knew it. It was vital for someone who aspired to lead a government to suck up to the rank and file. Where we really blew it was in deciding to elect party leaders by a vote of all members of the party, not just the parliamentry caucus. That cost us the big check on the PM's power. What happened to Maggie Thatcher couldn't happen here, for good or for ill. Trudeau said that MPs were nobodys 50 yards from Parliament Hill. Now they're nobodies in the House, too.

Canadians are damn tough soldiers. Did you notice how well the frogs did in 1870 and 1940?

I guess it depends on whose frogs you're looking at. Not all Quebecers were draft dodgers. Some of those damned tough Canadian soldiers, at Vimy Ridge and Juno Beach, were frogs too. Personally I wouldn't screw with a member of the VanDoos any more than I would with a member of the 101st Airborne. I saw a grave near Normandy of the youngest Canadian soldier killed in WWII -- a sixteen year old with Les Fusiliers Mont Royal. Anyway, you guys are still dealing with issues from the civil war after what, 137 years? No way do I have that kind of patience <g>.
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