Nina Grewal: MP or grumpy old man?

Conservative MP Nina Grewal has introduced a private member’s bill that will be debated in March. I always liked the concept of private member’s bill. Our backbench legislators have shockingly little power in this country. Compared to other democracies (even parliamentary democracies) there is very little that a run of the mill backbencher can do to affect policy. A private member’s bill is a rare opportunity where any Member of Parliament can try and change the laws of the land.

Nina Grewal is going to use that opportunity to make commercials not too loud.

To be clear the only restriction on what MPs can introduce as bills is that private member’s bills cannot call for new spending or adjust taxes. This is an admittedly large restriction but it still leaves a whole breadth of issues that can be addressed. Private member’s bills have been used in recent history to show leadership on national debates, such as the gun registry or the Human Rights Tribunal.

Instead of showing leadership Ms. Grewal is using her lottery assigned turn to introduce a new law to display her inner grumpy grandfather. Defending the bill she said that it is too much to ask Canadians to adjust their own volumes (I paraphrase). It is the responsibility of the state, the mighty leviathan, to ensure that people are not mildly annoyed and don’t have to press a few buttons every once and a while.

How many people are annoyed?

CRTC says that it received 304 complaints in 2010.

304 whole complaints! It is no wonder that Ms. Grewal wants to designate Parliamentary time discussing this. There is a total grassroots outcry against having to use your remote control more than once every half an hour. I would say that this is totally comparable to the mass protests demanding a change of government in Egypt.

Thank you Nina Grewal for bringing this issue into the forefront of public debate, you are truly doing your constituents a service.

P.S.

To all those people who complained to the CRTC:

Get a freakin hobby.

P.P.S.

This is my impression of Nina Grewal:

Damn commercials! Too dang loud. Where is that goddamn remote. Okay how do I work this bloody thing? Billy! Where is that damn kid! Billy how do I work the remote? I want to turn off the volume. The damn commercial is too loud. I said the damn commercial is too loud! No I don't want to fucking mute it, I just want to turn down the darn volume. Oh what? The arrows? No Billy damn it that made the fucking channel change. Why didn't you say I should use the arrows marked volume? Damn stupid kid. Why did my daughter marry his loser father in the first place? Wait Billy! That just made it fucking louder! what? The down arrow? Why didn't you say that first you idiot! Wait never mind the commercials are over now. There ought to be a fucking law that's what I say.