Contacting MPs about Bill C-38

(I just finished writing the following letter that I then sent to all Conservative Party MPs.)

Dear Member of Parliament,

You are now considering Bill C-38 about which I feel I must express my strongest objections. It constitutes a radical attack on Parliament's constitutionally-mandated job to examine and vote on new pieces of legislation in a manner that allows consequences to be properly examined and weighed. To be clear: my opposition to this bill does not reflect a partisan objection to the Conservative Party; I have voted for the Conservative Party in the past as I have on other occasions for the Liberal, New Democratic and Green parties. I am, however, appalled that a so-called "Conservative" party can be attempting to push through Parliament this omnibus bill that is antithetical to Parliament's vital role within the Westminster Parliamentary tradition. 

Writing about the French Revolution, Edmund Burke (in many ways the father of modern conservatism) spoke directly to such radical legal reformations and the danger that they represent to our inherited freedoms:

"These opposed and conflicting interests, which you [Conservative Party MPs!] considered as so great a blemish in your old and in our present constitution, interpose a salutary check to all precipitate resolutions [like Bill C-38!]; They render deliberation a matter not of choice, but of necessity; they make all change a subject of compromise; which naturally begets moderation; they produce temperaments, preventing the sore evil of harsh, crude, unqualified reformations [such as Bill C-38! my italics]; and rendering all the headlong exertions of arbitrary power, in the few or in the many, for ever impractical. Through the diversity of members and interests, general liberty had as many securities as there were separate views in the several orders; whilst by pressing down the whole by the weight of a real monarchy, the separate parts would have been prevented from warping and starting from their allotted places." (Reflections on the Revolution in France, ed. J.C.D. Clark [Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2001],  p. 187)

That even opinion writers in the right-leaning National Post (such as Kelly McPartland, John Ivision and Andrew Coyne) can see this bill as the horrendous attack on Parliamentary Privilege that it is reveals how far the present government is here departing from actual conservative principles. 

To those MPs who are opposing this atrocious bill I wish you all the best in your fight.

To those Conservative MPs who have meekly acceded to the Prime Minister's dictates to vote for this bill or else — you should be ashamed of yourselves for your craven subordination. That Stephen Harper in 2005 stated that a Liberal omnibus bill was "a contradiction to the conventions and practices of the House” only proves his mendacious hypocrisy. 

Where are the Conservative MPs who will put country ahead of personal ambition, right before might? I wait to be surprised.

A concerned Canadian citizen,

Melvin Backstrom

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If you also don't like Bill C-38 perhaps think about writing a letter and sending it to all Conservative MPs. Below are all of their email addresses formatted so you should just have to copy and past into your email address box.

diane.ablonczy@parl.gc.ca, Eve.Adams@parl.gc.ca, Mark.Adler@parl.gc.ca,
leona.aglukkaq@parl.gc.ca, Dan.Albas@parl.gc.ca, harold.albrecht@parl.gc.ca,
Chris.Alexander@parl.gc.ca, mike.allen@parl.gc.ca, dean.allison@parl.gc.ca, Stella.Ambler@parl.gc.ca, rona.ambrose@parl.gc.ca, rob.anders@parl.gc.ca, david.anderson@parl.gc.ca, scott.armstrong@parl.gc.ca, keith.ashfield@parl.gc.ca, Jay.Aspin@parl.gc.ca, John.baird@parl.gc.ca, Joyce.Bateman@parl.gc.ca, leon.benoit@parl.gc.ca, maxime.bernier@parl.gc.ca, james.bezan@parl.gc.ca, steven.blaney@parl.gc.ca, kelly.block@parl.gc.ca, ray.boughen@parl.gc.ca, peter.braid@parl.gc.ca, garry.breitkreuz@parl.gc.ca, gord.brown@parl.gc.ca, lois.brown@parl.gc.ca, patrick.brown@parl.gc.ca, rod.bruinooge@parl.gc.ca, Brad.Butt@parl.gc.ca, paul.calandra@parl.gc.ca, blaine.calkins@parl.gc.ca, ron.cannan@parl.gc.ca, John.Carmichael@parl.gc.ca, colin.carrie@parl.gc.ca, Corneliu.Chisu@parl.gc.ca, michael.chong@parl.gc.ca, rob.clarke@parl.gc.ca, tony.clement@parl.gc.ca, Joe.Daniel@parl.gc.ca, pat.davidson@parl.gc.ca, dean.delmastro@parl.gc.ca, dean.delmastro@parl.gc.ca, barry.devolin@parl.gc.ca, earl.dreeshen@parl.gc.ca, john.duncan@parl.gc.ca, rick.dykstra@parl.gc.ca, julian.fantino@parl.gc.ca, ed.fast@parl.gc.ca, Kerry-Lynne.Findlay@parl.gc.ca, diane.finley@parl.gc.ca, jim.flaherty@parl.gc.ca, steven.fletcher@parl.gc.ca, royal.galipeau@parl.gc.ca, cheryl.gallant@parl.gc.ca,
shelly.glover@parl.gc.ca, Robert.Goguen@parl.gc.ca, peter.goldring@parl.gc.ca, gary.goodyear@parl.gc.ca, Bal.Gosal@parl.gc.ca, jacques.gourde@parl.gc.ca,
nina.grewal@parl.gc.ca, stephen.harper@parl.gc.ca, richard.harris@parl.gc.ca, laurie.hawn@parl.gc.ca, Bryan.Hayes@parl.gc.ca, russ.hiebert@parl.gc.ca, Jim.Hillyer@parl.gc.ca, randy.hoback@parl.gc.ca, candice.hoeppner@parl.gc.ca, ed.holder@parl.gc.ca, Roxanne.James@parl.gc.ca, brian.jean@parl.gc.ca,
randy.kamp@parl.gc.ca, gerald.keddy@parl.gc.ca, jason.kenney@parl.gc.ca, peter.kent@parl.gc.ca, greg.kerr@parl.gc.ca, ed.komarnicki@parl.gc.ca, daryl.kramp@parl.gc.ca, mike.lake@parl.gc.ca, denis.lebel@parl.gc.ca, Ryan.Leef@parl.gc.ca, Kellie.Leitch@parl.gc.ca, pierre.lemieux@parl.gc.ca, Chungsen.Leung@parl.gc.ca, Wladyslaw.Lizon@parl.gc.ca, ben.lobb@parl.gc.ca, tom.lukiwski@parl.gc.ca, james.lunney@parl.gc.ca, peter.mackay@parl.gc.ca, dave.mackenzie@parl.gc.ca, colin.mayes@parl.gc.ca,
phil.mccoleman@parl.gc.ca, cathy.mcleod@parl.gc.ca, Costas.Menegakis@parl.gc.ca,
ted.menzies@parl.gc.ca, larry.miller@parl.gc.ca, james.moore@parl.gc.ca, rob.moore@parl.gc.ca,
rob.nicholson@parl.gc.ca, deepak.obhrai@parl.gc.ca, gordon.oconnor@parl.gc.ca, bev.oda@parl.gc.ca, Joe.Oliver@parl.gc.ca, tilly.oneillgordon@parl.gc.ca, Ted.Opitz@parl.gc.ca, christian.paradis@parl.gc.ca, lavar.payne@parl.gc.ca, Peter.Penashue@parl.gc.ca, pierre.poilievre@parl.gc.ca, joe.preston@parl.gc.ca, lisa.raitt@parl.gc.ca, brent.rathgeber@parl.gc.ca, scott.reid@parl.gc.ca, Michelle.Rempel@parl.gc.ca, blake.richards@parl.gc.ca, lee.richardson@parl.gc.ca, greg.rickford@parl.gc.ca, gerry.ritz@parl.gc.ca, andrew.saxton@parl.gc.ca, andrew.scheer@parl.gc.ca, gary.schellenberger@parl.gc.ca, Kyle.Seeback@parl.gc.ca,
gail.shea@parl.gc.ca, bev.shipley@parl.gc.ca, joy.smith@parl.gc.ca, robert.sopuck@parl.gc.ca,
kevin.sorenson@parl.gc.ca, bruce.stanton@parl.gc.ca, brian.storseth@parl.gc.ca,
Mark.Strahl@parl.gc.ca, david.sweet@parl.gc.ca, david.tilson@parl.gc.ca, Lawrence.Toet@parl.gc.ca, vic.toews@parl.gc.ca, brad.trost@parl.gc.ca, Bernard.Trottier@parl.gc.ca, Susan.Truppe@parl.gc.ca,
merv.tweed@parl.gc.ca, tim.uppal@parl.gc.ca, Bernard.Valcourt@parl.gc.ca, Frank.valeriote@parl.gc.ca, dave.vankesteren@parl.gc.ca, peter.vanloan@parl.gc.ca, maurice.vellacott@parl.gc.ca, mike.wallace@parl.gc.ca, mark.warawa@parl.gc.ca, chris.warkentin@parl.gc.ca, jeff.watson@parl.gc.ca,
john.weston@parl.gc.ca, john.weston@parl.gc.ca, rodney.weston@parl.gc.ca,
David.Wilks@parl.gc.ca, John.Williamson@parl.gc.ca, alice.wong@parl.gc.ca,
stephen.woodworth@parl.gc.ca, lynne.yelich@parl.gc.ca, terence.young@parl.gc.ca,
Bob.Zimmer@parl.gc.ca,