Conservatives should look to Sir John A for inspiration to abolish Senate

Published March 1, 2014

Canada’s conservative movement gathered Saturday at the Manning Networking Convention to consider the sorry state of the appointed Senate. Jeremy Harrison, House leader for the Saskatchewan government, made the case for abolition, saying the Senate has been “irreparably” harmed and has “failed the test of being effective.” Poilievre prefers an elected Senate, saying the Liberal […]

Senators: entitled to their entitlements

Published February 13, 2014

It’s remarkable that senators, in the middle of a spending scandal that has come to define the Upper Chamber, would be so brazen in the dingwalling of taxpayers. But that’s how bad things have gotten in the Senate, governed by a policy that asks senators to exercise “sound judgment” when making travel-related decisions. CBC News […]

Appointed Senate takes another hit with criminal charges

Published February 4, 2014

Prime Minister Stephen Harper was right back in 2005, when he declared that an “appointed Senate is a relic of the 19th century.” The developments on Tuesday just reinforced this point, when the RCMP announced criminal charges against Mac Harb, who served as a Liberal senator for years before stepping down last year amid allegations. […]

Howler alert: Harper government has “the highest ethical standard of all time”

Published January 31, 2014

Forget about the ongoing RCMP investigation into the Senate spending scandal and a cover-up in the Prime Minister’s Office. And don’t think about all those times that Elections Canada caught Conservatives overspending during election campaigns. And definitely don’t get stuck on Elections Canada’s ongoing voter suppression investigation involving Conservative Party operatives. And about those fundraisers by cabinet ministers raising conflict […]

Is Preston Manning’s Senate pitch really “minor renovation” or “better housekeeping”?

Published January 23, 2014

The founder of the Manning Centre for Building Democracy says the best way to deal with the Senate is either through “minor renovation” or “better housekeeping.” Speaking on CBC’s Power and Politics on Wednesday, Preston Manning said “at least democratize the thing and put in term limits.” If not, “the other one I picked was the […]

Old-school Tory schools Stephen Harper on fair wages

Published December 8, 2013

Old-school Tory Hugh Segal stands out in the Senate for standing up to Stephen Harper. His latest act of independence came this weekend, when Segal spoke about how important collective bargaining rights and fair wages are to Canada’s economy. Segal reminded people that the old Tory party believed in these tenets, just as the Conservative […]