Well like I said before, there’s always something happening at our provincial Legislature. Last Thursday, Cy LeBlanc, lost his head when the Vice-Speaker of the House Bill Fraser amended a motion to close the House before David Alward could put forth a point of motion. It all started when Min. Mike Murphy made the statement along the lines that the only thing bulls, steers and the opposition leader have in common is what they spread in the fields. Mind you, this insult has been flying back in forth in the House a lot during the last week. I actually know a few people that do work at the Legislature including reporters. Needless to say my reporter friends were absolutely salivating at the news that some “lost it” in the House. Thing is, the House is a place of utmost respect. The rules are imperative to keeping order and respect at all times. And following the Robert’s Rules of Order “provides common rules and procedures for deliberation and debate in order to place the whole membership on the same footing and speaking the same language.”
One of the first rule is stated as;
“Obtain the floor (the right to speak) by being the first to stand when the person speaking has finished; state Mr. / Madam Chairman. Raising your hand means nothing, and standing while another has the floor is out of order! One must be recognized by the Chair before speaking!”
Fact is Min. Murphy had obtained the floor first, had presented a motion to dismiss the House because it was 6 p.m. and Mr. Alward did not like this. Standing and pointing at Mr.Fraser and said; “You are going to pay for this.” He then proceeded to storm out before Mr. Fraser (another no-no) which led to Cy LeBlanc taking a few steps towards the vice-speaker before being grabbed and retained by his peers in the fashion of a hockey fighting teammate. He let loose with a few profanities that rhymes with duck and was escorted by other Tory members to their backroom.
You think they would have realized enough was already done. My sources told me, David Alward, Jeannopt Volpé (another hothead) and Margret-Ann Blaney went to the Speaker’s Chamber to confront the Vice-Speaker, the Speaker as well as two clerks. This was confirmed on Friday in a scrum featuring Stuart Jamieson.
The Tories also held a scrum the next day to which both David Alward and Cy LeBlanc denied every and all accusations. Tsk, tsk. If something could have been used as a guideline on how to handle such personal debacle, I believe it would David Lettermen’s little embarrassing episode of a few months ago. He basically came out, admitted he was wrong and slept in the bed that he made. “Point fini!” The whole thing disappeared from public view in a few weeks, unlike Tiger Wood’s total amnesia to his flings of the last 10 years.
Point is, we are all human. We all make mistakes. Admit when you make them and move on. I am not surprised by Cy LeBlanc’s antics. I described Carl Urquhart last week as the Homer Simpson of the Tories. But the man is a lovable goofball. He is real and a former hero cop. Nobody can take that away from him. LeBlanc is the court jester; he’s not funny, can’t speak either language and doesn’t respect the House and is not respected in return.
These actions were of very bad taste and I believe a very black mark on the Progressive Conservative Party of New Brunswick. It was a lack of class, of respect and of common decency. The House is organized to be civil but open and it is not a place for common self-importance and harassment.
That’s my two cents worth.
Peace brothers!
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