Huffington Post has posted an article speculating on whether 2013 is the beginning of Harper’s demise. Long time readers of this space will know that my own personal reaction is very much “we can only hope …”. To be sure, Harper has taken a few good solid body blows this
Continue readingTag: Harpers Legacy
Democracy Under Fire: Santa is Canadian & Harper is an idiot?
We know that our Government scientists and bureaucrats are not able to make any public statements without being ‘approved’ by the Harper regimes spin machine in the PMO so we will probably never know if the study and collection of data for the Arctic claim was indeed complete two years
Continue readingThe Cracked Crystal Ball II: Double Standards On The Hill
I can appreciate that any employer wants to protect its confidentiality, however what the Harper Government is imposing on employees of MPs is another thing altogether. Most people sign some kind of non-disclosure agreement with their employers. These are not usually any big deal. They usually contain some kind of
Continue readingDemocracy Under Fire: Backbenchers Grow a Backbone?
Many of us have been sounding the alarm bell for some time about the amount of power and control the Prime Minister and the PMO have over both the daily working of parliament and more particularly the amount of control exercised over MPs and senators elected or appointed under the
Continue readingDemocracy Under Fire: A Created Crisis?
The whole debate about the reform or abolition of the senate would not be getting the attention it is currently getting were it not for the somewhat overblown concern about just three senators expense claims and Harpers request to the courts to find out if he can do away or
Continue readingDemocracy Under Fire: Information is Power
The senate expense investigation and who knew what along with the PMs efforts to rid himself of these now disgraced conservative senators that he appointed has all but eliminated other news from the headlines. There was however some mention a couple of weeks ago of Canada’s information watchdog Suzanne Legault’s
Continue readingDemocracy Under Fire: An Insidious Sickness
Canadian Democracy is sick. It has been showing alarming symptoms for some time now, they range from the inability of a large portion of our MPs to speak out without first consulting the PMO and a failure to listen to those with opposing or alternate opinions, to totally ignoring the
Continue readingThe Cracked Crystal Ball II: Why Harper Will Never Reform The Senate
Protestations aside, Harper will never reform Canada’s Senate. Harper’s 45-minute remarks included only a brief reference to the main political headache that has shaken his party since May, the Senate expense scandal. He did not acknowledge the coverup allegation that has kept the controversy in the headlines. The party leader
Continue readingThe Cracked Crystal Ball II: Harper’s Eyes Wide Shut Moment
As the Senate Expenses Scandal unfolds, Canadians are seeing the consequences of the culture that Harper has fostered in the CPC in his drive to gain power. When Harper set his sights on power, specifically on making the CPC “Canada’s Natural Governing Party” for the coming decades, he decided
Continue readingThe Cracked Crystal Ball II: There Is No Honour Among Thieves
Make no mistake about it, I have little sympathy for Mike Duffy. When I caught wind of his political aspirations several years before he became a Senator, he ceased to be among the journalists that I had much respect for. That said, Duffy’s last couple of speeches in the
Continue readingDemocracy Under Fire: Rules and Conventions, Lies and Punishment
I will not dwell in great length upon the ongoing soap opera that is the ‘Senate Scandal’, there is quite enough commentary out there without my adding to it. I will instead examine how and why such thing are even possible in a ‘democracy’ and I contend that it is,
Continue readingThe Cracked Crystal Ball II: Duffy’s Testimony Before Canada’s Senate
Full Text Read it. It’s a bombshell that very clearly ties Harper into this whole scheme. It doesn’t make any of the parties involved look good – in fact in many respects it makes Duffy look pretty low too – which is part of the reason I suspect that he
Continue readingDemocracy Under Fire: TV or Democracy
With the next set of promises recently presented in the House after several days of targeted leaks of some of the content which highlighted ‘more choice of cable & satellite TV channels’ I wonder if Canadians are really as shallow as the Harper Regime seems to think. Can we really
Continue readingThe Cracked Crystal Ball II: When Logic Does Not Factor Into Policy
Yesterday, Canada’s Minister for the Status of Women spoke on the recent decision for Canada to restrict funding related to War Rape and Forced Marriage victims to organizations and programs that exclude abortion. As a pediatric surgeon, she said she’s confident Canada has chosen to target its aid where it
Continue readingDemocracy Under Fire: Prorogued Again……..
Prime Minister Stephen Harper says he intends to prorogue Parliament, which means the House of Commons will not resume in September as planned. Harper, who is currently on a week-long swing through northern Canada, says a speech from the throne will likely be delivered in October, kicking off a new
Continue readingDemocracy Under Fire: Standing Up for Nature and Democracy
This week Forest Ethics Advocacy, launched a constitutional challenge to new requirements in the National Energy Board Act that have the effect of silencing citizens concerned about tar sands pipelines. As pointed out by West Coast Environmental the severe restrictions placed upon public comment by Bill C-38 whereby any citizen
Continue readingThe Cracked Crystal Ball II: The Legitimacy Of Harper’s Senate Appointees
With the latest set of revelations in the ongoing Senate Scandal, we find out that Senator Wallin spends the majority of her time living in Toronto. Frankly, I don’t much care where Ms. Wallin lives. That is largely her business – except for that part of her life where she
Continue readingThe Cracked Crystal Ball II: On The Ongoing Senate Scandal
As the summer wears on, more keeps dribbling out about the misdeeds of various Senators. Whether we are talking about Wallin, Duffy or Brazeau the outrage that we direct towards these senators for their individual misdeeds should be directed in equal measure towards the man currently residing at 24 Sussex Dr.
Continue readingDemocracy Under Fire: What Price Our International Reputation.
Cost of supporting the United NationsConvention to Combat Drought and Desertification (UNCCD) and not becoming the only country in the world to confirm to the international community that Canada cared nothing for climate action, nor for the fate of Africa. $290,000/year. Cost of those ‘Economic Action Plan’Ads $21,000,000 Enough said!
Continue readingDemocracy Under Fire: This is Democracy?
As per Bill C-38 – last springs omnibus budget bill…. Members of the public who want to send a letter with comments to the NEB about a pipeline project must first apply for permission to participate – by filling out a 10-page form that includes a request for a resume
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