By Obert Madondo | The Canadian Progressive, Feb. 18, 2013: In, 2004, Stephen Harper described Canada’s Senate as a “dumping ground for the favoured cronies of the Prime Minister.” He also said: “I will not name appointed people to the Senate. Anyone who sits in the Parliament of Canada must be elected by the people
Continue readingTag: referendum
Song of the Watermelon: Quebec, Referendums, and Formulas for Secession
National unity is back in the news after the NDP tabled a private member’s bill yesterday, a bill that would repeal the Clarity Act and set the bar for Quebec sovereignty negotiations at a mere 50 percent plus one in a clearly worded referendum. We all know what that means.
Continue readingCowichan Conversations: The CVRD Directors Are Trying To Bring the Eco Depot Back!
Richard Hughes- Political Blogger
When it comes to the CVRD Directors penchant for spending our money and doing it in a deceptive and sneaky manner this group of Director’s win the prize!
Does anyone recall them, any of them, pitching you on the …
calgaryliberal.com: No Debate: How the Conservatives Will Campaign in Calgary-Centre… and how to fight back!
It’s about absolute radio silence. The Conservative candidate will not speak to the public without speaking points… if she even does try to speak to the public. There will be no debate or town hall. It’s all about a level of radio silence. And let me tell you why. Because the
Continue readingSong of the Watermelon: An Open Letter to Stephen Harper Regarding Senate Reform
Dear Prime Minister Stephen Harper: I am writing today in response to reports that you will seek a Supreme Court reference on the constitutionality of your proposals for Senate reform. In a way, I can understand this. You would like clarity on a politically tricky issue, one that would otherwise
Continue readingCuriosityCat: Quebec: Should PM Harper adopt Henry Kissinger’s ‘benign neglect’ policy?
Pauline Marois, the premier-elect of Quebec, has a shaky minority government, with the balance of power being held by the new Coalition party, and a handful of seats separating the PQ from the Liberal Party. Marois has promised to up the ante in talks with the Harper government, with the
Continue readingCuriosityCat: NDP’s Thomas Mulcair bamboozles media on Quebec referendum
Showing adept footwork (almost as good as that of Justin Trudeau in the boxing ring a short while ago), Thomas Mulcair has succeeded in persuading the media that he not only can have his cake on the framing of any Quebec sovereignty referendum question, but eat it too. To put
Continue readingcenterandleft: A Defence of Regularized Public Policy Referendum
I think Governments should consult with the people. The amount of public involvement with our federal democracy is essentially voting in a general election once every four years. We call our political system “free and democratic”, a rule by and for the people. For me, electing over three hundred people
Continue readingPop The Stack: Electoral Reform on the NDP Radar
The NDP leadership race is heating up and the most interesting development to me is that there seems to be a competition growing for who can be the most concerned about the sorry state of our democracy and the most committed to fix it. Take Peggy Nash, her website has
Continue readingPop The Stack: Electoral Reform on the NDP Radar
The NDP leadership race is heating up and the most interesting development to me is that there seems to be a competition growing for who can be the most concerned about the sorry state of our democracy and the most committed to fix it. Take Peggy Nash, her website has
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: The fine points of democracy are all Greek to Albertans
German Chancellor Angela Merkel, left, and French President Nikolas Sarkozy threaten Greek taxpayers with expulsion from the Eurozone if they don’t shape up and destroy the Greek middle class. European politicians may not be exactly as illustrated. B…
Continue readingPolitics and Entertainment: Cancelling the Greek Referendum and Angela Merkel’s Steely Focus
Two final thoughts today on the Greek crisis: 1) Under immense political pressure from within his own party, the opposition, and the EU – i.e., Germany – Papandreou was forced to cancel the referendum. But the basic idea was a good one: he knew Germany…
Continue readingQui est pour un référendum sur la réforme du Sénat?
Qui aurait bien de retour en mai, après que les conservateurs du Canada baigné dans leur glorieuse victoire sur les libéraux autant haï dans l’élection fédérale, que l’un des plus grands thèmes de confusion et de désaccord interne au parti ser…
Continue readingOn the Quebec question: (4) Devolution
So far, I’ve argued that there are good reasons to favour Quebec’s right to determine, on its own, whether to separate from Canada. One option that has come up under various names — “sovereignty association” or “asymmetrical federalism” — is the poss…
Continue readingOn the Quebec question: (1) Clarity
(After this, I may just go ahead and write that Israel thing I’ve had kicking around in my head for a few years. While I’m stepping on landmines, I might as well step on them all in one go.)As newswatchers will know, there’s been a lot of chatter about…
Continue readingTHE FIFTH COLUMN: The NDP, The Quebec Question and 50% + 1
Much has been made of Jack Layton’s “controversial” comments on a possible Quebec sovereignty referendum.The fact is that it is a very rational and defensible position. Based on the closest precedent, the entry of Newfoundland into Confederation, Quebe…
Continue readingPop The Stack: Hobbits for Electoral Reform
Dear Wise Races of the United Kingdom of Middle Earth, Please forgive a humble Hobbit for bothering you but I just wanted to write about an urgent matter of democracy. Here in Hobbiton we have just had a Shire-wide election. Let’s just say that I’m fairly miffed about the results.
Continue readingCowboys for Social Responsibility: Would Quebec NDP MPs campaign for Pauline Marois’ yes?
Much as been written recently about the NDP’s recent breakthrough in polls in Quebec.
Like Brian Mulroney, the NDP seems to be drawing well among the so called “soft nationalist” vote.
New Democrats tell Quebecois voters that their party:
1. Recogniz…
BC Liberals outflank NDP on HST – get their Mojo back
That’s what I said. The Liberals out manoeuvred the NDP by tricking the NDP MLA’s to support the notion of the province-wide referendum in 2011. In one fell swoop, the Liberals moved the HST off the front burner and upstaged the NDP. By moving to a…
Continue readingPop The Stack: Democracy is a Canadian Tradition
Just a housecleaning post with a bunch of random stuff I’d like to get out there. Canada is awesome and Vancouver’s not bad at all, at all. This site went over 8000 reads today due to a post from last year entitled Canadian Traditions. It shows the big human flag from Victoria’s Canada Day celbrations […]
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