Ottawa, February 9, 2021 - Yesterday, Senator Irving Gerstein, the new Chair of the Senate Standing Committee on Banking, Trade and Commerce removed Senator Céline Hervieux-Payette , the Vice-Chair, from the seat she traditionally had at the Chair`s table.
”It is shocking to see that the first action of the new Conservative Chair wasn`t on Committee business or the financial system but was instead a motion to force me from his table. His partisan actions are typical of the Conservative Party” said Senator Hervieux-Payette.
”Senator Hervieux-Payette has been a member of this committee for 17 years and is the first woman Vice-Chair since Confederation. It is not just a Liberal who has been affected by this decision but also a woman, “added Senator Pierrette Ringuette, who is also a member of the committee.
Chair Gerstein also apparently stopped the televised transmission of the Committee during the presentation of his motion, the debates and the vote.
“Manipulation has become the modus operandi of the Conservatives as demonstrated by their attempts to continuously hide their shameful behavior. It allows them to continue their hypocritical rhetoric of transparency and ethics” continued Senator Hervieux-Payette.
“This does not bode well for the Committee’s work and will do nothing to improve our democracy” concluded the Senator.
Senator Hervieux-Payette contributed to the revision of the Bank Act which gave Canada’s banking sector the strength to resist the current financial crisis.
Many thanks for this post! I often watch both Senate & House committee mtgs, and have watched with interest Mme Sen. HervieuxPayette’s contributions. Her comments are always well-thought-out and pertinent. I find Sen. Gerstein’s actions deplorable! Both in removing the Vice-Chair, and in his actions in “hiding” important information from the public eye. My support is for Sen. HervieuxPayette, as a woman, a liberal and as a member of the general public. Sincerely, Patricia Williams
I completely agree with the above post by Patricia Williams. It is deplorable that the Conservatives consistantly ignore the public and do as they choose. We were warned by people in the old Conservative party that Stephen Harper was “a dangerous man” and I’m beginning to believe that. The fact that Sen. Gerstein stopped the televison transmission to hide her disgusting behaviour is just another underhanded way the Conservatives are behaving.
Just what you’d expect from the conservatives!!!!!!!Always putting women down…….Shame!!!!!
Stand up to the bullies. Their behaviour in government is ironically childish, considering the recent uproar over babies in the House.
The old ‘Reform Party’ is back in full swing! I would swear we are back in 1964, only they had respect for the rules of order back then….
It is a shame that a Canadian Senator can be so small-minded & petty. It also tells me that Monsieur Gerstein apparently feels very intimidated by a beautiful, young & obviously very intelligent woman who is more than his equal and that is why he did not want Celine too close to him as your mere presence would distract him & overwhelm his puny self-opinion of himself. And the same can be said of the other Tory Senators who supported his motion. Unfortunately, that is the sort of Government that Canadians have elected and Prime Minister Harper is the clearest example of someone who also refuses to bring any sense of cooperation & good communication to Parliament.
It must be very frustrating, as a woman, a Quebecer and an intelligent person to deal with some Tory members in the Senate. In any case, you can hold your head up high & take the high road in this situation. If Mr. Gerstein does not wish to cooperate & work with you, then it is his loss & it just makes him look like the foolish old man that he is.