Tuesday 5 February 2013

M408: Totally Bogus

In previous blogposts here on private member's bill M408, the condemnation of sex selection, aka The Latest Backdoor Attempt to Legislate on Abortion, we've noted that it is sheer, cynical posturing coming from a member of the CONtempt Party.

The CONs have nothing but contempt for women. For starters, just look at the list of women's organizations whose funding has been cut or ended by them.

Today, I decided to have a look at Mark Warawa's history on matters relating to his new hobby, 'protecting girls'.

I mean, there are tons of fetus fetishizing Cons, why pick him as the front man for this little ploy?

At Campaign Lie, he gets a Double Plus Good rating.

At Rate Parliament, he's got two comments presumably from constituents, neither complimentary.

At Open Parliament, we learn that his favourite word is 'environment', which makes sense. He's chair of the Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development.

Searching Open Parliament for his recorded actions and statements, we find 306 pages going back to the beginning of his MP life in 2004. The record consists of petitions (back in the day, lots of them on 'traditional marriage', now on sex selection) and acres of time-keeping at environment committee.

A search of those 306 pages with the keyword 'women' turns up a measly two pages.

Most of those references are in the stock phrase, 'men and women', or its more enlightened variant, 'women and men'.

Only two pertained to women specifically.

Here he is on REAL Women on September 28, 2006.
Mr. Speaker, hearing the comments like meanspirited, if the Liberals were in government they would raise the GST back up because they voted against that. They voted against providing parents the choice in child care. They want to take back that $100 a month for children. That would be meanspirited.

I have a question that relates to the comments that have been made about REAL Women. REAL Women is going to be coming to the committee. I am looking for some wisdom from the member who just spoke. I have been on committees for many years. My understanding is that when a delegation is coming to a committee that the committee is open-minded and the committee is prepared to listen to delegates that come and dialogue in order to learn.

However, when we have the chairperson of a committee publicly ridiculing a delegation that is about to come, like REAL Women, I have real concerns that democracy may be under attack. We hear rhetoric now and heckling. Is that a good approach for a delegation coming? I would like to hear an answer.
And here's a snippet from his glurgey support for Woodworth's Wank on September 21, 2012.
We need to protect women's rights but we also must protect everyone's rights, the rights of women, children, adults and all human rights.
Awww, isn't that sweet? 'We need to protect women's rights. BUT'.

BUT. Maybe he was one of the renegade seven Cons who supported the truly 'pro-life' private member's bill that sought to provide cheaper life-saving drugs for poor countries. After all, our pal Maurice Vellacott voted in favour of it.

Nope.

This is precisely how bankrupt the CONtempt Party is on gender-related issues.

This guy is the best they could come up with to front M408.

This is how totally bogus M408 is.

4 comments:

Sixth Estate said...

"We need to protect women's rights but we also must protect everyone's rights, the rights of women, children, adults and all human rights."

I'd never noticed this before. That is an incredibly bizarre statement. I really, really, really hope he didn't mean to say that "women" and "adults" are two separate categories.

fern hill said...

Yeah, bizarre is the word. Maybe 'human' is a separate category too.

Telling glimpse into the patriarchal mind. . .

MyPetGloat said...

"We need to protect women's rights but we also must protect everyone's rights, the rights of women, children, adults and all human rights."

Notice the "but" after "women's rights" implying those rights for women undercut all the rights of all other humans (which um they don't). Socons are sadly not skilled at thinking things through before typing. Also research isn't their thing. For example, the Charter protecting everyone still eludes them. It just doesn't give him the right to control the bodies and destinies of women...oh snap. Good thing women have a constitution that protect them from Mark Rights Abuser Warawa.

fern hill said...

Cons don't think, they blow dogwhistles.

(Don't usually publish comments on old blog-posts, but Warawa is at it again. Same stupid shit, new number, Motion 77.)

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