Dictatorial power of the Canadian Prime Minister

The SNC Lavalin scandal and the role of Justin Trudeau, Canada’s Prime Minister, in obfuscating an objective examination of that scandal are wending their way through the judiciary and Canada’s Parliament, respectively.

Paraphrasing,

Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer says he’s [said he was] hopeful an opposition motion to call a public inquiry into the SNC Lavalin controversy will pass.

The NDP introduced the motion Tuesday in the House of Commons. The Conservatives say they will [said they would] support it.

But with a Liberal majority in the House, the motion can be [was] easily defeated.

—More

Yesterday, 2019 02 20, Andrew Scheer’s hopes were dashed in a vote in the House of Commons, with 124 votes for and 160 against the motion.  The debate leading up to it was instructive. Maclean’s has more on the affair:

Let me ‘speak my truth’ says Wilson-Raybould

Politics Insider for February 21: Trudeau’s tries the apology route, Wilson-Raybould gets a standing O from the opposition and a budget promise that sounds familiar
by Maclean’s | Feb 21, 2019

There is no remedy, no silver bullet.  Our Prime Minister is untouchable, his power far too great, not that he is above reproach, but here is a bit more about the powers of our Prime Minister.

As long as he is power, his power is greater than those of many of the most absolute monarchs in history.   His power is in the order of the power of, for example, the Roman emperors, with an important difference. 

Much like the power of our prime ministers, the power of the Roman emperors depended on how well they were liked by the

• Aristocracy (use your imagination on what the equivalent of that is in Canada, but SNC Lavalin is just one example of many); 
• Legions (the Canadian equivalent is our Armed Forces);
• Praetorian Guards (that would be the RCMP, right?);
• Senate (the Canadian Senate has some but far less of the power of the Roman Senate). and the
• People (our voters).

Another agency must be added to that list in Canada, the media. The latter is close to 100 percent liberal and largely under control of, and most definitely favorable to Liberal prime ministers. Even Maclean’s, a supposedly conservative magazine (the only one in Canada), gets a $1.5 million annual publication grant from the federal government. (The Report Newsmagazine could have had one of $250,000 a year but declined, to maintain its independence.)

The Canadian equivalents of most of those agencies (except the Armed Forces and the Senate) are more powerful than their equivalent agencies were in Ancient Rome.

There is a very grave difference between then and now.  A large number of Roman Emperors ruled only for a short time, and only relatively few died a natural death, with arguably the majority of them having been either assassinated, murdered or motivated to commit suicide (as otherwise they would have been executed).  In 69 AD, for example, there was a succession of four emperors following the suicide of Nero.  The latter had been declared hostis publicus (enemy of the people) by the Senate and was slated for execution in “the ancient manner,” that is, to be stripped naked, having his head clamped in a wooden fork, his body flogged with sticks and then thrown off a cliff.

That may happen to Trump but cannot possibly happen to our glorious leader, notwithstanding that Trump is being vilified far more unjustly than Nero ever was, even though Trump is a far more benign and benevolent ruler with far fewer powers than Nero had and Justin Trudeau does have.  Regardless of the unlikely event that St. Justin will ever be considered by a majority of the people to be an enemy of the people (he’s got far too much power and influence for that to happen), there are no powers in Canada that will replace him, unless the people will come to their senses and vote him out of office.  How likely is that to happen?  The next Canadian federal election (see summary of polls), which is scheduled for October 21, 2019, will tell.

So, we have what the Romans did not have, a democracy in which people can vote.  A lot of good that is doing us, but it certainly is tailored to keep Liberal prime ministers in power and immune from investigation, let alone have the current PM deliver on his election promise of providing a transparent government.

#Censorship #Corruption #Propaganda

See also:

• Men have all the power? Don’t you believe it!
• Propaganda, socialism and feminism
• Sheep People Comparisons – Are people sheeple?