What The Senate Ruling Says About Harper
The Supreme Court of Canada’s ruling on the Senate Reform questions that Harper put to them last year came out today. The ruling itself is not terribly surprising, but what…
Senate Reform
Strike 4: Harper Cannot Unilaterally Reform The Senate
The Supreme Court issued their ruling on the Senate Reform Consultation questions that Harper put before them last year. In a unanimous decision released Friday, eight judges of the top…
Predicting a timeline for Senate reform
Historically, big changes in governance often occur in a period of rapid debate and change, following a long period of relative inaction while structural pressures build. For the Senate, the…
The Senate: Will Mulcair’s rabbits and doves flee in all directions as Mulroney’s did?
Constitutional twins? Thomas Mulcair gives the impression that he relishes the views of some of him as a tough guy. In Question Period, faced with a cornered Prime Minister Harper…
A brilliant tactical move: Justin Trudeau kicks out Liberal Senators
Sometimes you have to give credit where credit is due: Justin Trudeau just pulled a brilliant tactical move with his unexpected and unceremonious dumping of all former Liberal Senators from…
Five ways to save the Senate of Canada
Tweet Is the Senate of Canada broken? And if so, is it worth saving? Here are the positions held by Canada’s federal political parties: 1) Abolish the Senate The New…
A Force To Be Reckoned With
Yesterday, Justin Trudeau gave Stephen Harper and Tom Mulcair migraines. Micheal den Tandt writes: In one bold, risky and unexpected gambit, Justin Trudeau has turned the national debate about the…
Trudeau’s Senate play a bold stroke. But what’s next?
I think everyone was surprised by Liberal leader Justin Trudeau’s move this morning – particularly 32 Senators – that he was removing all Senators from the Liberal parliamentary caucus, and…
Liberal reformers
A few thoughts here on today's announcement by Justin Trudeau that Liberal Senators will no longer be part of the Liberal caucus and are now to sit independently. One of…
Liberal reformers
A few thoughts here on today’s announcement by Justin Trudeau that Liberal Senators will no longer be part of the Liberal caucus and are now to sit independently. One of…
So this thing happened in the Senate today..
If anyone predicted this was going to happen today, I’m going to them to ask what numbers I should pick for the lottery: Justin Trudeau has expelled from his caucus…
Liberal reformers
A few thoughts here on today’s announcement by Justin Trudeau that Liberal Senators will no longer be part of the Liberal caucus and are now to sit independently. One of…
LPC Senate Change: The View Of A Tory Insider
Keith Beardsley is a Tory insider. Smart guy. Not obviously insane. His angle on Justin’s shock announcement this morning is surely worth noting: It will…be interesting to see how the…
Liberals Lose Half Their Caucus Under Justin Trudeau’s Leadership
It’s rare that something happens in Ottawa that truly surprises everyone. Despite having spent the last year talking about the senate over and over again, it’s safe to say very…
2014: Year in Preview
We don’t know what will make headlines in 2014. After all, most political predictions are about as accurate as a Forum poll. So I won’t try to guess how 2014…
A Scandal in Two Institutions: The Senate Half
What has become known as the Senate Scandal is really a scandal in two institutions: the Senate, of course, but also the PMO. The PMO half of this scandal was…
Shorter Coyne On Senate Reform: Give All The Power To The PMO
In the wake of this week’s Supreme Court Hearings on the Senate Reform consultation questions that the Harper Government posed last spring, the National Post’s Andrew Coyne has postulated that…
On Senate Reform
The notion of a referendum on Senate abolition has been percolating around more publicly again. This isn’t necessarily a bad idea in itself. As I pointed out back here, it…
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…