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Paul Martin's Liberals Break New Ground in High Handedness

OTTAWA, February 11, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Paul Martin's government has broken new ground in Liberal high-handedness and invoked closure on a crucial motion after the House had been in session only six days. On Friday afternoon, when most MP's were on their way home to their constituencies, Jacques Saada, Government House Leader, moved that bills that were in waiting before the proroguing of the House will be considered "approved at all stages completed at the time of prorogation".

Nine bills will be brought back for consideration at the point at which they were left by the previous government, including the anti-free speech homosexual hate crimes bill, (previously C-250) and the gravely flawed reproductive technologies bill, (previously C-13).

MP's were surprised when, with only one and a half hours allowed for debate, Saada called for closure. The opposition MP's in an unusual display of common cause slammed the government for forcing the bills back.

In a lengthy speech Friday that gave the history of C-13, Rob Merrifield (CPC Yellowhead), reiterated the dangers and dirty tricks surrounding the reproductive technologies bill. "The bill should be split right down the middle. We said that right from the very beginning. It has two tracks. We should be splitting this piece of legislation as fast as we possibly can and bring that forward."

NDP member, Joe Comartin criticized the government for abandoning the work of Parliament in favour of a personal political battle between Chretien and Martin. "The Liberals put their interests, as a political party, and to some degree the personal political interests of the two men ahead of the interests of this country. The opposition's role is to speak out when there is abuse, and that motion is abusive."

"(Paul Martin) has instead decided to proceed from where Mr. Chrétien left off," said the CPC's Gurmant Grewal. "In doing so, he ends all pretensions of being different or new in any way and continues with Mr. Chrétien's agenda in the same direction."

The members from the Bloc Quebecois also objected. Bernard Bigras said, "there is no valid reason to put forward such a motion today, a motion that more or less seeks to gag the opposition and avoid debates on issues that we feel are fundamental."

The House voted on the motion with all three opposition parties voting in a block against it. The motion passed overwhelmingly however, 143-82.

Campaign Life Coalition National Organizer, Mary Ellen Douglas, said that CLC was prepared for this contingency. The pro-life lobby is ready to battle the reproductive technologies bill to the end. "No matter what they do in the House, we trust that the Senate will do what the House refused to do and split the bill in two and to listen to the people of Canada who have concerns about the use of human beings for research that kills them."

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