The Canadian Senate’s long, long, looong history of shameful behaviour

Published June 5, 2015

An embarrassing history.

VIDEO: Why are senators allowed to raise money for the Conservatives?

Published April 7, 2015

Should Canadian senators be involved in partisan political fundraising? Can the chamber of sober second thought really be sober or offer second thought if senators are shilling for Stephen Harper at cocktail parties and tangling themselves up in conflicts of interest? Should senators be “banned from fundraising for political parties,” as the late Jack Layton […]

Making fun of entitled Canadian senators is trending on Twitter right now

Published April 2, 2015

“Ice-cold Camembert with broken crackers” — could Marie Antoinette have said it any better herself? Senator Nancy Ruth set off a firestorm on Twitter Thursday after explaining to reporters that it was perfectly fair to expense breakfast after a morning flight because the “ice-cold Camembert with broken crackers” served in executive class just doesn’t cut it. She […]

VIDEO. Senate created to keep “the people” in check: retired senator

Published December 17, 2014

Why does Canada have an appointed Senate? According to retired Conservative Senator Hugh Segal, “it’s because at the beginning of the country, the Fathers of Confederation (I use the term advisedly) weren’t prepared to actually trust the people with all the democratic decision-making they deserved.” “It’s a Canadian thing,” Segal adds. Indeed, here’s what Sir […]

8 reasons the Conservatives’ anti-union bill shouldn’t be brought back from the dead

Published September 23, 2014

It was battered, bloodied and bruised. It even had most of its limbs hacked off by the Senate. But now the Conservatives’ anti-union bill C-377 is back from the dead. The controversial piece of legislation, fronted by Conservative backbencher Russ Hiebert, would give the government unprecedented powers to force unions to hand over basic financial […]

“Old Duff” fundraising video: the Conservatives won’t want you to watch this today

Published July 17, 2014

It must have seemed like such a good idea at the time: showcasing Senator Mike Duffy in a Conservative Party video, delivered by email to test a new state-of-the-art fundraising tool featuring personalized introductions. On Thursday, though, the RCMP laid 31 charges against Duffy, fraud, breach of trust and bribery, related to Senate expense claims […]

Tag: Senate