Posts Tagged ‘ Democratic reform in Canada ’

Justin Trudeau’s Senate reform surprise .. is this a sign of the new/old kind of federal government he’d lead?

Jan 31st, 2014 | By | Category: In Brief

Justin “Trudeau’s Senate purge” – of all appointed Liberal senators from the Liberal parliamentary caucus – has been called “a tactical masterstroke,” a “bold move,” “a smart branding strategy,” and a “ push for a non-partisan Red Chamber.” My own assessment is that even the Globe and Mail editorial’s “One cheer for Mr. Trudeau’s Senate […]



Strengthening Canada starts with a head of state accountable to the Canadian people who pay taxes ..

Oct 16th, 2013 | By | Category: In Brief

What a week! As we write the proroguing Harper government is scheduled to present an allegedly six-point throne speech at 5 PM ET. And it finally seems that there is serious hope for an at least temporary deal to end the almost unbelievable dysfunctional deadlock in Washington. Meanwhile, others at street level are working to […]



175th anniversary of early democracy struggle at Lount and Matthews Salon, Gladstone Hotel, Friday, April 12

Apr 9th, 2013 | By | Category: In Brief

This coming Friday, April 12 will mark the 175th anniversary of a significant event in the history of Toronto (and even Ontario and Canada writ large), that hardly anyone remembers now. On the morning of April 12, 1838, close to the present-day intersection of King and Toronto streets downtown, Samuel Lount and Peter Matthews were […]



Liberals vote to keep monarchy .. and lose some current and future supporters (present company not excepted)!

Jan 15th, 2012 | By | Category: In Brief

In a number of respects the Liberal Party of Canada biennial convention in Ottawa this weekend has been a surprising success. It was, eg, attended by some 3,200 delegates – considerably more than expected. As Jane Taber has also reported: “The party had wanted to show it can reinvent itself by becoming more open. It […]



More cheers for Nathan Cullen’s NDP leadership bid .. the new republic in Canada may be closer than we think?

Dec 1st, 2011 | By | Category: In Brief

No one expects Nathan Cullen to win.  As a recent Barbara Yaffe column in the Vancouver Sun notes, he has been labelled “a long shot and an underdog in the [federal] NDP leadership race.”Â  And: “With nine candidates – nearly 10 per cent of the caucus” – vying “to replace Jack Layton, the Skeena-Bulkley Valley […]



Tim Uppal : new point man on Senate reform (or have old appointments already poisoned the well, etc, etc, etc)?

May 18th, 2011 | By | Category: In Brief

[UPDATED MAY 19, 20]. There is at least a strong perception that Senate reform will be one of the key issues on the early agenda of the new Harper majority government in Ottawa. (See, eg: “New momentum for Senate reform” and “Then it will be on to Senate reform.”) In speculating about today’s much-touted federal […]



Will still more bad opposition polls kill Canadian spring election in the end?

Mar 11th, 2011 | By | Category: In Brief

As the week of March 7—11 that maybe was or was not in Canadian federal politics closes, two new polls on party standings have thrown some almost abrupt cold water on the more or less enthused speculation about such themes as “can opposition get Harper on abuse of power instead of budget?” – that I […]



NDP (and Liberals) could support Harper’s Bill S-8 on Senate elections, in exchange for provincial representation concept that makes sense for Quebec

Mar 2nd, 2011 | By | Category: In Brief

Flipping through the rather slender electronic file on the federal NDP motion for “a national referendum on abolishing the Senate” – slated for debate in the Canadian House of Commons today, after some procedural wrangling yesterday – forces you to dwell on just how beleaguered the cause of progress in Ottawa has become lately. The […]



Minerva’s owl spreads its wings on Stephen Harper’s last gasp of the British monarchy in Canada ..

Feb 18th, 2011 | By | Category: Canadian Republic

Once upon a time, the near-great economic historian Harold Innis began his 1947 “Minerva’s Owl” Presidential Address to the Royal Society of Canada with: “I have taken the title from that striking sentence of Hegel ‘Minerva’s owl begins its flight only in the gathering dusk…’” As much more recently explained by Lauren O’Nizzle, “a 20-something […]



If Harper really is preparing his exit, what will his legacy to Canada be?

Nov 26th, 2010 | By | Category: Ottawa Scene

The news that “NL premier Danny Williams announces resignation” will bring different thoughts to different minds on the Canadian mainland. In Ontario, eg, the point that his “resignation comes before a provincial election scheduled for October” will prompt some to wonder yet again whether Dalton McGuinty, also facing a provincial election scheduled for October, and […]