Conservative senators balking at Senate reform.Seriously, who could not have predicted this? I sure did. To get appointed, you say yes sir yes sir Mr. Harper sir I will sir: but once you’ve been appointed to your job-for-life, its fuck you! time.
Continue readingTag: Senate Reform
Blunt Objects: Canada’s New Democrats: Stuck Between a Rock and Hard Place
Especially on the issue of Senate reform, where Quebec’s provincial government is already starting to get its back up:Quebec is warning Stephen Harper it may go to court, if necessary, to block any attempt by the federal government to unilaterally ref…
Continue readingA BCer in Toronto: Senate reform shouldn’t be a populist bandwagon of convenience
Following Stephen Harper’s appointment of several (more) failed Conservative candidates to the Senate, we’ve seen the usual outrage over the sheer contempt demonstrated by the moves. But for those who say Harper is trying to (semi) reform the upper…
Continue readingBigCityLib Strikes Back: Once More With Senate Reform
They’re at it again, so I will say it again:1) All I’ve heard suggests that the provinces will be asked elect a Senate candidate who the PM promises to then appoint. In other words, the actual appointment will still be in the hands of the PM, who the p…
Continue readingScott's DiaTribes: Poll: majority of Canadians support constitutional talks to reform Senate
It seems a new poll is out that says Canadians are more then willing right now to re-open the Constitution to do such things as Senate reform:
After almost two decades of constitutional peace, Harris-Decima survey conducted for The Canadian Press indicates a majority is now willing to risk re-opening the constitutional can of worms to accomplish some specific goals…For instance, 61 per cent said they’re prepared to re-open the Constitution to reform or abolish the appointed Senate. And 58 per cent said they’re willing to offer constitutional amendments in a bid to finally secure Quebec’s signature on the Constitution. Fifty-eight per cent also said they’re willing to open […]
Continue readingParliamANT Hill: Returning Senator in Hospital after Moose Collision
Inspired by this story: http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2011/05/20/nl-fabian-moose-520.html
Continue readingProgressive Proselytizing: Harper’s anti-democratic senate appointments.
Harper has appointed three senate seats from among his party. Here is the kicker: these people just lost their election campaigns to be MP’s.
Opposed to supporting democratic influences it is actively rewarding loyal party members even thought they l…
Continue readingBouquets of Gray: Harper lowers expectations
In today’s speech celebrating his five years as Prime Minister, Stephen Harper is reported to have said: “We are in this minority government. We haven’t been able to pass what we want to pass. But that doesn’t mean we have forgotten … there wil…
Continue readingPop The Stack: Hypocrisy Has a New Definition in Senate Defeat
OK, I thought I was just going to read a little news, have my coffee and get back to work. I was fine until I saw this on twitter: @stephen_taylor Speaking of unelected… @elizabethmay has an opinion about all of thishttp://bit.ly/a1VIQK #cdnpoli Of course I have to stand up to defend Elizabeth, so I go […]
Pop The Stack: The Simplest Argument for Electoral Reform
Take a look at this simple and clear article on Democractic Reform from Fair Vote Canada. This is what Canadians need, a clear argument why our democracy is broken. There are some great basic arguments here that anyone interested in fixing our democracy should be repeating over and over to everyone they talk to about […]
Pop The Stack: Senate and GG Reform : A Simple Solution
A great article on the Globe and Mail about Harper’s Senate reform plans. As always, Senate reform is a more complex issue than it first appears. Harper likely knows this and knows that his overly simple solution will never be implemented anyways because as the author points out, there are a lot of drawbacks to […]
CoteGauche: Harper’s Folly
Some of Stephen Harper’s recent initiative are starting to resemble high risk political gamesmanship with little regard for the unity of the nation.
I’ll give him political points for picking up the Quebecois Nation issue from the Liberals and turning…
Continue readingCoteGauche: Harper’s Folly
Some of Stephen Harper’s recent initiative are starting to resemble high risk political gamesmanship with little regard for the unity of the nation. I’ll give him political points for picking up the Quebecois Nation issue from the Liberals and turning it (possibly) to his political advantage – at least in
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