Walk a Kb or Two in my Moccasins- Nobody 'splained it to me like that!

Simple answers to Complex Questions and Complex Answers to Simple Questions. In real life, I'm a Greater-Toronto (Canada) Realtor with RE/MAX Hallmark Realty Ltd, Brokerage. I first joined RE/MAX in 1983 and was first Registered to Trade in Real Estate in Ontario in 1974. Formerly known as "Two-Finger Ramblings of a Forensic Acuitant turned Community Synthesizer"

My Photo
Name:
Location: Province of Greater Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Saturday, July 10, 2010

New GG - PMO-Drone or Benevolent Autocrat?

A New GG - PMO-Drone or Benevolent Autocrat?

Executive Summary
Without a publicly acknowledged Mandate the most morally-backboned, highly educated, apolitical, Solomon-wise Governor General just doesn't have a chance to exercise His/Her Benevolence or His/Her Powers.


Dear Mr Salutin, Editors,

Several news reports have caught my eye in recent days regarding the potential (and now-lost opportunities) for Canada as the recommendation for appointment of Governor General was being decided.

Will PM pick a strong governor general -- c. Hebert, Telegraph Journal

Governor general's role complex - T Cohen, Canwest

The new G-G: Hire him and tank the others. R Salutin Globe & Mail

While Mr Salutin's delved into the implications of Mr Johnston's "audition" - deftly-crafted terms of reference in the Mulroney/Schreiber/but-not-AirBus Inquiry, the essence of all these pieces is concern and wonder about the new GG's "gravitas, backbone, knowledge, political inexperience and strong/weak hand" when the next political impasse in the Legislative Power requires a decision from the Executive Power.

Notwithstanding anyone's views about Ms Jean's particularly weak-handed acquiescence to a) the request for an early dissolution in 2008 (seconds before Lehman Bros blew up); b) Prorogation #1 (in anticipation of a hypothetical non-confidence motion regarding a PMO-created crisis) or c) Prorogation #3 (phoned-in, just in time for the Olympics), the real issue is Canada's lack of a widely-recognized and acknowledged understanding of the as-written, constitutional mandate of the Vice Regal Office.

Here's the depth of the problem regarding this "Mandate":

Canadians think we're a Democracy - but our foundational concept is Constitutional Monarchy.

Canadians think the PM is top-dog and that everything else is anachronistic fluff.

Canadians think the Senate is heaven-for-political-hacks, when in fact it's intended as a middle-class-property-owners', plutocratic double-check on the actions of a plebeian-pandering bunch of vote-buying, 50-foot nobodies.

Canadians think that the Governor General (and the Lt Governors) are useless, needless -anachronistic and not at all a value-for-money position - it's felt they are appointed by the PM to officially-rubberstamp his/her wishes.

Canadians don't know the structure of their BNA Act governance system - nor it's evolution or the reasons for each office's creation and the limits/privileges granted/denied to each office.

Canadians know more about the American (2nd) Constitution and its power-structure and apply that knowledge to Canada - when in fact ours is totally different. Additionally and to a lesser degree we apply knowledge of the U.K. system -when in fact our "similar in principle" system is just that .... similar but by no means EXACTLY the same.

Canadians don't read the BNA/Constitution Acts and don't study it/civics in school -perhaps if we had a Plain Language version ...

Canadian blindly-trusting nescience and good-natured ignore-ance of the foundations of our country have allowed the Legislative Inmates to take over the One Parliament (BNA s.17) asylum.

The one person entrusted with the power to withhold Royal Assent (veto with no appeal) from the most-lunatic of the Legislative Power's Bills passed-to-curry-favour or pay-back a favour is the (Lt Governor(s) and) the Governor General.

In addition, the Governor General was delegated the Monarch's BNA s.15 role as Commander in Chief in Canada in the 1947 Letters Patent.

The public MUST be educated about the powers of this tantamount-to-supreme Constitutional Office in order to knowingly consent to the exercising of the GG's constitutionally-mandated powers.

Or else the GG will be too afraid to use these powers AND the PMO knows this.

Ms Hebert says " ... 2008 ... Conservative insiders openly mused about challenging (Ms Jean) authority in the event that she declined..."

In the event of a crisis .... are Canadians going to break out the library books and do an intensive study on the (counter-to-their-currently believed, but incorrect understanding of) above-mentioned history and evolution?

No. And the GG knows this.
NB nevermind that the GG's independent, permanent advisors, with the greatest institution-memory in Canada, the Privy Council, was usurped in 1940.

Without a publicly acknowledged Mandate, the most morally-backboned, highly educated, apolitical, Solomon-wise Governor General just doesn't have a chance to exercise His/Her Benevolence or His/Her as-written Powers.


rce


Historic & similar
Aug 18/05 Drone as GG = Dictator as PM
Apr 4/10 Will the next GG be the embodiment of the Cdn Crown?

and a long-winded backgrounder:
Jan 25/09 Who's mandate is the well-being and betterment of each and every Canadian? The Order in Council of 1940.

Politics Blog Top Sites