He's going to stiff Westerners over their precious Triple-E? Not likely. He's going to open The Constitution, followed a minute later by every group with complaint (legit or not) demanding that their complaint be dealt with now its open? If Senate Reformers get a turn, why not First Nations? Not bloody likely.
I mean, I'm OK with Senate abolishment. But rather than try to get to that point and have the nation blow-up somewhere in transit, I'd frankly prefer to let the PM continue to appoint hacks.
Oh, and as for the current bill: its crap. The PM only has to take any Senate election result "under advisement"; he is not bound by it. Therefore why would anyone bother to run if they hadn't already cleared their candidacy with the PM? And if the PM is still final arbiter, why go through the whole election dog-and-pony show in the first place? Again, why not just let the PM continue to appoint hacks. Its cheaper that way.
He's going to open The Constitution, followed a minute later by every group with complaint (legit or not) demanding that their complaint be dealt with now its open?
ReplyDeleteThere have been 10 successful amendments to the constitution since 1982. None of those lead to everyone demanding their complaints be dealt with.
That stuff was trivia.
ReplyDeleteAnyone that wants to abolish the Senate had better think, do you know of any Democratic Country that does not have a Senate or something like one, because without one, you can create a Hitler
ReplyDeleteNew Zealand abolished their senate half a century ago. No Hitlers created there.
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't matter if it was trivia. Your point that reopening the constitution to deal with an issue will lead to demands from everyone else is bogus.
ReplyDeleteRobert,
ReplyDeleteSenate Reform was one of the three pillars of the whole Charlottetown negs. I don't think you can just do the one without the other two (First Nation's, Que status) rearing their heads. Even during the bogus Que. nation debate back in 06/07, there was a mood among Lib supporters to want to make support conditional on these other issues also being dealt with.
Same thing will happen with this. Mark my words.
A Eliz. said...
ReplyDeleteAnyone that wants to abolish the Senate had better think, do you know of any Democratic Country that does not have a Senate or something like one, because without one, you can create a Hitler.
Not that Mr McClelland hadn't already answered this, but, here's the list of unicameral legislatures around the world.
Wow, lots of potential Hitler spawning grounds out there including Denmark, Mongolia, Portugal, Armenia, Finland, and - oh my gosh - ISRAEL!
Oh, and the old Weimar Republic was in fact a bicameral legislature, with the reichstag (approx like our parliament) and the reichsrat (approx like the senate, a body to give regional representation for the various German states) being the two legislative bodies that, supposedly, protected Germany from someone like Hitler taking power.
BTW - I in fact prefer to keep the senate and try to make it a democratic body protecting the various provincial interests. However if that can't be done then just scrap the damned patronage palace.
In case no-one has noticed, Democracy and Freedom is being taken away from Canadians. Our Civil Rights and Liberties, are swiftly vanishing. We are living, in a dictatorship regime.
ReplyDeleteGovernments work behind the citizens backs. Canadians are forced into situations, we know are bad for the people. Canada is a vast cesspool of corruption.
Wikileaks has said, the N.A.U. is just around the corner. The U.S. citizens, are dead set against the N.A.U. And boy oh boy, do the Americans ever detest Harper. We will be, the Mexcanaricans. Our currency will be, the Amero dollar.
When they merge our three country's, I don't know how the governments, will be structured. I do know, they want a large labor pool, of all the country's together. We already have the start of, the European Union. There will be the South American Union, the Asian Union and so on.
Some say it will be the same as a Communist regime, the people will own nothing. The huge gas and oil company's and mines, own all the natural resources. It is said, the giant corporations, will be the New World Order, the Global Governance, if you will.
We will have to watch Wikileaks, to see what is coming for the next steps.
There have been 10 successful amendments to the constitution since 1982. None of those lead to everyone demanding their complaints be dealt with.
ReplyDeleteThere may have been a reason for this.
From the link: "If a constitutional amendment only affects one province, however, only the assent of Parliament and of that province's legislature is required.
"Most of these amendments [the 10 successful amendments] have been limited in scope, dealing with only specific provinces, and thus not subject to national debate. None have been subjected to a national referendum."
Senate reform as per the Constitution calls for "the seven provinces with 50% of the population, and resolutions from the House of Commons and the Senate" formula. (The last part might be food for thought. Would the Senate vote to get rid of themselves?)
Currently, Ontario and Quebec look like they're spoiling for some sort of fight.