--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Bill C-9 was supposed to be a budget…" description: "\"“Bill C-9 was supposed to be a budget bill, but it came with innumerable measures that had little or nothing to do with the nation's finances. It was, ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a3/lawrence-martin-40750_canada_bill-c-9-was-supposed-to-be-a-budget-bil_915152.jpg" --- # Bill C-9 was supposed to be a budget bill, but it came… ![“Bill C-9 was supposed to be a budget bill, but it came with innumerable measures that had little or nothing to do with the nation's finances. It was, as critics put it, the advance of the Harper agenda by stealth, yet another abuse of the democratic process. The bill was a behemoth. It was 904…” quote by Lawrence Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a3/lawrence-martin-40750_canada_bill-c-9-was-supposed-to-be-a-budget-bil_915152.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a3/lawrence-martin-40750_canada_bill-c-9-was-supposed-to-be-a-budget-bil_915152.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a3/lawrence-martin-40750_canada_bill-c-9-was-supposed-to-be-a-budget-bil_915152.jpg) > ““Bill C-9 was supposed to be a budget bill, but it came with innumerable measures that had little or nothing to do with the nation's finances. It was, as critics put it, the advance of the Harper agenda by stealth, yet another abuse of the democratic process. The bill was a behemoth. It was 904 pages, with 23 separate sections and 2,208 individual clauses… As a Reform MP, \[Stephen Harper\] … said of one piece of legislation that 'the subject matter of the bill is so diverse that a single vote on the content would put members in conflict with their own principles.' The bill he referred to was 21 page long -- or 883 pages shorter than the one he was now putting before Parliament.”” [Lawrence Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-martin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote argues that Bill C‑9 was a massive, unrelated budget bill used to push a hidden political agenda, undermining democratic transparency. **In simple terms:** The bill was huge, unrelated to finances, and a stealth agenda. Key Takeaway Scrutinize legislation for hidden motives. Themes politics legislation transparency democratic process Mood skeptical concerned Type expository critical When to use this quote - parliamentary debate - citizen activism - media watchdog - policy analysis Key Concepts public policy constitutional law political strategy Questions to Reflect On - What mechanisms ensure legislative transparency? - How can citizens hold governments accountable? A Different Perspective The perspective may ignore legitimate policy components. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Canada](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/canada/) [Canadian government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/canadian-government/) [Canadian-politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/canadian-politics/) [Democracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democracy/) [Governance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/governance/) [Legislation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/legislation/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [Parliament](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parliament/) [Stephen-harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stephen-harper/) ## Related quotes > [ “As opposition leader, \[Stephen Harper\] wrote in the Montreal Gazette in the year before he came to power: 'Information is the lifeblood of a… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-martin/as-opposition-leader-stephen-harper-wrote-in-the-montreal-gazette-in/) [Lawrence Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-martin/) > [“The real power in Ottawa, as in Washington, is in the executive branch. At the White House, there are daily briefings for reporters. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-martin/the-real-power-in-ottawa-as-in-washington-is-in-the-executive-branch/) [Lawrence Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-martin/) > [“Attempts to thwart or muzzle the media continued as well. At a conservative caucus meeting in Charlottetown in August 2007, journalists assembled in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-martin/attempts-to-thwart-or-muzzle-the-media-continued-as-well-at-a/) [Lawrence Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-martin/) > [ “For \[Stephen\] Harper, a national daycare plan bordered on being a socialist scheme, a phrase he had once used to describe the Kyoto Protocol… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-martin/for-stephen-harper-a-national-daycare-plan-bordered-on-being-a/) [Lawrence Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-martin/) > [ “Earlier in \[2007\] the \[Prime Minister's Office\] had also drawn criticism for trying to muzzle the judiciary. The reproach came from Antonio Lamer, the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-martin/earlier-in-2007-the-prime-minister-s-office-had-also-drawn-criticism/) [Lawrence Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-martin/) > [ “\[Harper\] once told a friend, "I think about strategy twenty-four hours a day," and it was only a small exaggeration.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-martin/harper-once-told-a-friend-i-think-about-strategy-twenty-four-hours-a/) [Lawrence Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-martin/) > [“In the run-up to the election, Stephen Harper had rolled out the rhetoric on the need for clean and transparent government, expressing frustration with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-martin/in-the-run-up-to-the-election-stephen-harper-had-rolled-out-the/) [Lawrence Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-martin/) > [ “\[Stephen\] Harper had said he would use all legal means, and what \[John\] Baird suggested was an option the prome minister was considering. If… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-martin/stephen-harper-had-said-he-would-use-all-legal-means-and-what-john/) [Lawrence Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-martin/) > [ “The conservatives had started bringing demagoguery to the table on the \[Afghan\] war issue the previous fall \[fall 2006\]. Whenever opposition members criticized the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-martin/the-conservatives-had-started-bringing-demagoguery-to-the-table-on/) [Lawrence Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-martin/) > [I love Canada. I am from Canada. I will bash the Canadian government but never Canada.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-priestley/i-love-canada-i-am-from-canada-i-will-bash-the-canadian-government/) [Jason Priestley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-priestley/) > [Canada I don't trust. The Canadian government hates me more than the Japanese.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-watson/canada-i-don-t-trust-the-canadian-government-hates-me-more-than-the/) [Paul Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-watson/) > [The Canadian government continues to say they will not help us if we go to war with Iraq. However, the prime minister of Canada…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conan-o-brien/the-canadian-government-continues-to-say-they-will-not-help-us-if-we/) [Conan O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conan-o-brien/) > [For about 125 years, give or take, the Canadian government has acted extremely badly - even in a way which should be called evil…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ralston-saul/for-about-125-years-give-or-take-the-canadian-government-has-acted/) [John Ralston Saul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ralston-saul/) > [The single most important duty of the federal government is to protect and defend our national sovereignty. There are new and disturbing reports of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-harper/the-single-most-important-duty-of-the-federal-government-is-to/) [Stephen Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-harper/) > [Mexico is sex and Canada is mind. There is much about Canada that I find admirable - the treatment of immigrants, for example, particularly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rodriguez/mexico-is-sex-and-canada-is-mind-there-is-much-about-canada-that-i/) [Richard Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rodriguez/) ## More by Lawrence Martin > [ “The conservatives had started bringing demagoguery to the table on the \[Afghan\] war issue the previous fall \[fall 2006\]. Whenever opposition members criticized the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-martin/the-conservatives-had-started-bringing-demagoguery-to-the-table-on/) [Lawrence Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-martin/) > [ “\[Stephen\] Harper had said he would use all legal means, and what \[John\] Baird suggested was an option the prome minister was considering. If… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-martin/stephen-harper-had-said-he-would-use-all-legal-means-and-what-john/) [Lawrence Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-martin/) > [ “As opposition leader, \[Stephen Harper\] wrote in the Montreal Gazette in the year before he came to power: 'Information is the lifeblood of a… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-martin/as-opposition-leader-stephen-harper-wrote-in-the-montreal-gazette-in/) [Lawrence Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-martin/) > [ “\[Harper\] once told a friend, "I think about strategy twenty-four hours a day," and it was only a small exaggeration.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-martin/harper-once-told-a-friend-i-think-about-strategy-twenty-four-hours-a/) [Lawrence Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-martin/) > [ “Earlier in \[2007\] the \[Prime Minister's Office\] had also drawn criticism for trying to muzzle the judiciary. The reproach came from Antonio Lamer, the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-martin/earlier-in-2007-the-prime-minister-s-office-had-also-drawn-criticism/) [Lawrence Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-martin/) > [ “For \[Stephen\] Harper, a national daycare plan bordered on being a socialist scheme, a phrase he had once used to describe the Kyoto Protocol… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-martin/for-stephen-harper-a-national-daycare-plan-bordered-on-being-a/) [Lawrence Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-martin/) > [“Attempts to thwart or muzzle the media continued as well. At a conservative caucus meeting in Charlottetown in August 2007, journalists assembled in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-martin/attempts-to-thwart-or-muzzle-the-media-continued-as-well-at-a/) [Lawrence Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-martin/) > [“The real power in Ottawa, as in Washington, is in the executive branch. At the White House, there are daily briefings for reporters. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-martin/the-real-power-in-ottawa-as-in-washington-is-in-the-executive-branch/) [Lawrence Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-martin/) > [“In the run-up to the election, Stephen Harper had rolled out the rhetoric on the need for clean and transparent government, expressing frustration with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-martin/in-the-run-up-to-the-election-stephen-harper-had-rolled-out-the/) [Lawrence Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-martin/) [Explore all 10 Lawrence Martin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-martin/) ## More Canada quotes > [You, of Canada, are building a magnificent record of achievement. My country rejoices in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/you-of-canada-are-building-a-magnificent-record-of-achievement-my/) [Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/) > [“In American terms, the accomplishment of Genghis Khan might be understood if the United States, instead of being created by a group of educated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-weatherford/in-american-terms-the-accomplishment-of-genghis-khan-might-be/) [Jack Weatherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-weatherford/) > [Plant flowers in others' gardens and your life becomes a bouquet! Submitted by Lisa Letto, Coordinator, Nutrition Resource and Volunteer Centre, College of Pharmacy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/plant-flowers-in-others-gardens-and-your-life-becomes-a-bouquet/) [Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/) > [Our country has shown a lack of will to resist its own disintegration .. . Canada is practically the only country left in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/northrop-frye/our-country-has-shown-a-lack-of-will-to-resist-its-own-disintegration/) [Northrop Frye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/northrop-frye/) > [“Not very long ago I was driving with my husband on the back roads of Grey County, which is to the north and east…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/not-very-long-ago-i-was-driving-with-my-husband-on-the-back-roads-of/) [Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/) > [Purchasing items made in the U.S. for our stores here or Canadian goods for our stores in Canada makes good business sense because it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-mcmillon/purchasing-items-made-in-the-u-s-for-our-stores-here-or-canadian/) [Doug McMillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-mcmillon/) > [One of the things that I miss about Canada is that even the strangers, you have an immediate rapport, there's just an understanding that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evangeline-lilly/one-of-the-things-that-i-miss-about-canada-is-that-even-the-strangers/) [Evangeline Lilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evangeline-lilly/) > [I've never been invited to do an exhibition or do a talk in England, except once, about 10 years ago. I've given talks all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-wildsmith/i-ve-never-been-invited-to-do-an-exhibition-or-do-a-talk-in-england/) [Brian Wildsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-wildsmith/) > [Canada has become such a staging area for Chinese money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-kwan/canada-has-become-such-a-staging-area-for-chinese-money/) [Kevin Kwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-kwan/) > [“To be honest, it's a real relief to go to Canada where I can be among my relatives. Just the kind of break I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-puddicombe/to-be-honest-it-s-a-real-relief-to-go-to-canada-where-i-can-be-among/) [Ken Puddicombe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-puddicombe/) > [When I left Canada for Bayern, people said, 'You'll never make it. You'll be back in a year.' I stopped going to school because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owen-hargreaves/when-i-left-canada-for-bayern-people-said-you-ll-never-make-it-you-ll/) [Owen Hargreaves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/owen-hargreaves/) > [LEGO has announced that they are shutting down their U.S. factory and moving it to Canada. LEGO employees say it's their fault because they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conan-o-brien/lego-has-announced-that-they-are-shutting-down-their-u-s-factory-and/) [Conan O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conan-o-brien/) > [It's so Canada. On some level, you laugh, but on another level, it's just depressing. We pride ourselves: We're not like the bad old…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/constance-backhouse/it-s-so-canada-on-some-level-you-laugh-but-on-another-level-it-s-just/) [Constance Backhouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/constance-backhouse/) > [The movement across Canada to fight toxic chemicals is a women's movement. It's a concern about health; it's very intimate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-may/the-movement-across-canada-to-fight-toxic-chemicals-is-a-women-s/) [Elizabeth May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-may/) > [I grew up working in Canada so everything was low budget.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-page/i-grew-up-working-in-canada-so-everything-was-low-budget/) [Ellen Page](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-page/) [Browse all 1,873 Canada quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/canada/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Bill C-9 was supposed to be a budget bill, but it came with innumerable measures that had little or nothing to do with the nation's finances. It was, as critics put it, the advance of the Harper agenda by stealth, yet another abuse of the democratic process. The bill was a behemoth. It was 904 pages, with 23 separate sections and 2,208 individual clauses… As a Reform MP, [Stephen Harper] … said of one piece of legislation that 'the subject matter of the bill is so diverse that a single vote on the content would put members in conflict with their own principles.' 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