The Conservatives are offering to drop plans to obstruct the vote on the $4.6-billion budget deal the Liberals negotiated with the NDP in exchange for seeing the same-sex marriage legislation delayed into the fall.
How predictably duplicitous.
My worry is that the Liberals WILL take the deal, if only to take an early vacation from the most fractious, repulsive sitting of the House of Commons since the reign of the great paranoia-king Diefenbaker. After all, what may be simple tactics to one man, can seem like capitulation to another man.
Can we not realize, once and for all, that same sex marriage (1) is going to pass, (2) is not going to bring down civilization as we know it, and (3) will change nothing in regards to the situation in the House of Commons.
There are two quote from today’s Globe and Mail that give me hope. The first shows some impressive backbone on the part of Mr. Valeri:
Government House Leader Tony Valeri accused the Conservatives of offering the deal simply because they “want to go home early.”
“They’re just trying to do the budget bill and go home,” Mr. Valeri said. “I’m saying there is lots of work to do here. I’m prepared to work to move legislation through…”
The second quote is from the mouth piece of the Prime Minister himself, which also offers some light at the end of the tunnel:
However, the Prime Minister’s communications director, Scott Reid, said the Liberal government will not strike a deal to delay the passage of the same-sex marriage bill in return for smooth passage of budget bills. He said the Conservatives will have to explain their desire to link the two if they kill the budget bill.
“We can’t guarantee that bill C-38 [same-sex legislation] will pass this session if the Conservatives are determined to obstruct and filibuster both it and the budget bill. But we can guarantee that we will play no part in compromising one bill for another,” Mr. Reid said.
Ever since the down-to-the-wire confidence vote that occured a couple weeks ago, the Liberals have been steering a solid, if unremarkable, course through the House — one that has helped them rise in the polls AND brought the passing of both the budget & same sex marriage closer to reality. I truly hope moral cowardice and fatigue don’t form a final roadblock to the successful passage of all this legislation. There is still so much left to do…
Despite not having a great deal of confidence in government and politicians these days (which is sacrilege for a political science graduate such as myself), I shall endeavour to be optimistic. That said, I AM a Liberal… 
