If they were/are that ill that they cannot fulfil their function, resign and let a by-election fill their seats with someone who can do the job.

Did their taxpayer benefits cease for the days they could not do their job? Did their salaries?

When I am very ill, my employer surely DOESN’T continue to pay my salary, but then I am blue collar and actually work for living. Maybe that is why!

Perhaps we should pay MP’s an hourly wage for the time they ACTUALLY WORK. Perhaps that is the solution!

Public service is public service. If an individual, for some reason, cannot serve in their capacity they should RESIGN!

Does this become your excuse for not standing up for the independent voice now? What about the Canadian laws promising “equivalent voice” and making us all “equal before and under the law”? If our Parliament is so blatant in treating our elected so differently despite these laws, why are you not charging partisan politicians for creating new laws that took away our rights in voice?

Equivalency is not based simply on colour or religion. Indeed, our highest laws forbid the use of our courts and elected positions to favour anyone on the basis of “social status” and “political beliefs” as well as “religion” and “race”. So, do you not find it strange that you quickly abandon the difficulties you admit to again of “working as an independent” for the comfort of more perks and potential than what a lowly independent voice gets?

Seems that yet, once again, another politician chooses to buy personal comfort over elected duty.

The last time I looked at the Criminal Code, any elected or hired government official who used tax dollar paid positions to manipulate their way into places they were not voted to violated the Criminal Code sections forbidding use of office for personal gain.

Until now I was willing to accept some of your arguments that you were ineffective as an Independent. Now I know why. You care not about elected duty only your personal comfort.

Thank you for clarifying for me that what you did was wrong, if not indeed Criminal.

Ah, that we were all elected like Stronach the Monarch, Brisson the Bison, Dennis the Menace Emerson, CON Kahn and L’il Ol’ Lonesome Garth! Then maybe we could all abuse tax dollars to choose where we would sit in Canada’s Parliament to gain in personal comfort and influence.

When will Canadians get politicians of integrity who are made accountable on a daily basis? Maybe when they finally stop allowing elected lawyers to bamboozle them into thinking that the Criminal Code charges of influencing cannot be used because corrupted politicians have passed new laws making them seemingly unaccountable.

Last time I read our Charter, our 1948 UN Declaration and the Criminal Code, this was forbidden as “using position to gain in influence”. Maybe some Canadians will finally start to insist that the Criminal Code be applied for all of you manipulators who destroy the credibility of our electoral system?

OOOPS! But haven’t our Prime Ministers Chretien and Harper themselves complained that our courts are full of Liberals and Conservatives? Might be why you people feel you are above the laws of influencing to gain in personal comfort or position?