Prime Minister Stephen Harper will introduce a bill calling for a plebiscite on the choice of Senate candidates on Wednesday.
He announced the plan at that morning’s Conservative caucus meeting, and said it will form the next plank in his bid to introduce more accountability to Parliament hill.
“This way the Senate will be more accountable, more credible and more democratic,” Mr. Harper said.
“After a century and-a-half, democracy will finally come to the Senate of Canada.”
Update – Someone please check on Jason Cherniak. I think he’s he’s having a stroke.
Jason Cherniak: Why not have a body of unelected but useful people who can give an opinion?
Me: They’re called voters.
Twit.
ok4ua,
You might look less the fool if you actually took the time to look up the origins of the Upper Chamber.
Cherniak and Dion.
Keep on talking men. Keep on talkin…
Don’s just jealous ’cause his blog looks about as active as Mt. Rainier. Or, maybe being the good Lib that he is, maybe he’s out recruiting OJ Simpson to help search for the $40 miilion that’s still unaccounted for from Adscam, being’s OJ seems to have made the search for the “real killers” kind of a part-time deal, now.
Cherniak is the Potsy Webber of bloggers.
Have another soda at Arnold’s, Jason.
PEI has 4 senators which = one senator/x population. So,lets start the reform by making it mandatory that all provinces have the same number of senators/population as PEI. Alberta and BC at least would gain, but would Que and Ont lose any seats. Imagine, if the west had just as much clout in the senate as Que. or Ont. Why are liberals afraid of democracy. Sure flies in the face of the coward frenchman, dion. Has Mercer started his campaign to change his name to Celine.
We are not the US of A. To you losers out their in this country you’d be even bigger losers in the US with or without a senate. Think about it.
What the heck are you talking about OK? Why the kneejerk response “USA BAD! EVIL EVIL!” Why don’t you actually decide to post a well thought out and reasoned response to Harper’s proposal instead of trying the typical Lib argument of meaningless bluster? IQ not up to snuff?
“The theory is that an election makes you more “representative”” – says Cherniak
Am I the only one that sees this comment as a little scary. Sounds like something Castro would say.
MaryT (3:03 PM), if you’re still on this thread, can you clarify – what do you feel the impact will be on federal seats if, as you suggest, the population of Alberta can and does turn on a dime?
I did not know that Adolf* was a Conservative…
I always thought he was more like j.stalins demented uncle.
And why are the Liberals visiting this site today so opposed to The Club membership rites being changed?
Crabgrass, not to speak for MaryT, but I will anyway. I believe her comment comes from the 1993 blowout, due, in no small part, to the emergence of the Reform Party. If a conservative party doesn’t take care of its base, it can expect a similar response in the future. The fact that the CPC adequately reflects our interests (in most ways) doesn’t mean that we won’t drop it in a second if any shenanigans like Mulroney’s Tories pulled occur again.
As for Cherniak, why doesn’t he go further with the analogy, and explore the thriving democracy in Cuba, leftist Utopia?
Look at this way. I went and read Cherniaks comment
it is so juvenile that I even registered to comment.
This was really telling to me. In order to comment you have to register and he screens all the comments weeding out those he doesn’t like, whereas Kate lets you just post, now if you get too out of hand to often she tosses you out but you begin to get the Idea.
Libs need control. The unwashed masses can’t have an influence in their country only the high clerics of the Liberal inner sanctum can be annointed for such grave and sacred prognostication.
In the SDA world it’s free for all let everyone have a crack at er. and the best idea wins. Now that’s my kinda thinking.
Besides I’m smarter than Cherniak so it really scares the crap outta me that he may actually one day get to right policy.
The best part of Harper’s Senate Reform speech today: “a strong Canada that punches above its weight in the world…thank you very much and MAY GOD KEEP OUR COUNTRY GLORIOUS AND FREE!”
Damn straight. Best. Prime Minister. Ever.
you gotta love the phrase “it’s not a question of democracy but a question of how you govern the country”??!
From an observer perspective, Cherniak has downed the kool-aid. What he terms a “divisive constitutional issue” exists *only* to serve Liberal interests. The rest of his post mimics what Dominic Leblanc tried to spin on Duffy. The knee jerk response only signifies Liberal terror that the status quo may change.
The tranparency of this group of Liberals is clearly evident. There was a moment in QP today where the PM pointed out that should the Liberals ever wish to retake office (at which point the Liberals erupted in cheers) they need to come clean with Canadians and begin their renewal in ernest. The point an observer is left with after this spectacle? That the Liberals are concerned with one thing only (power), and they don’t care what it takes to get it. Not earthshattering news, but a clear illustration of the Liberal mindset.
Do you get the impression that the Libs are suffering from post-convention negative cognition (buyer’s remorse)?
Thank-you for your excellent post Mary T. I, like many posters here, am in favour of electing the Senate. The Senate is supposed to be a house of regional representatives; their job was originally to protect the sparsely populated areas from exploitation by highly populated areas (to balance the rep by pop system in the House of Commons).
Through successive governments and corrupt Prime Ministers, the Senate has become a pork barrel reward for life position for loyal toadies. There is no real work done in the Senate because the Senate is a ‘reward’ joint.
I think that the limit of eight years and an election of Senators by the citizens of regions would produce a Senate that does work. If Senators, like Mr. Thompson the ‘Mexico Man’, was AWOL for months, holidaying on the taxpayers $$ then the elected accountable Senators would squawk.
I have no idea why any taxpayer would defend the status quo in that static, corrupt lump-body of a waste of money – our money!! Why would anyone, in their right mind, want to fund a luxury welfare lifestyle for a batch of old cronies of past PMs – why would they(the Senators) feel any need to do anything – they have a life job of lots of $$ for doing nothing but catering to the PM who appointed them?
It never ceases to amaze me how some (usually wage slaves with limited disposable income) people will line up to pay taxes for the comfort of people who have much bigger bank accounts than the people who want to support them. I have read about slaves in the Old South who refused to leave their “Master/Mistress” after the American Civil War. They stayed with people who had used them and viewed them as property. “The more things change, the more they remain the same.”
Some of us don’t like being used as cash cows for a bunch of elitist do nothings to do more of the same. Don, you just send your own cheques to the Senate if you value them. I’m going with PMSH and his plans to reform that corrupt outfit.
I see the Liberals/leftists commenting are terrified at the prospect of elections helping the Prime Minister decide whom to appoint to the Senate.
They haven’t made any case whatsoever against this progressive move by the Prime Minister.
For all their sound and fury about supposedly being “progressive”, they certainly are NOT progressive.
Stephen Harper and the Conservatives are progressive. They believe in democracy. Democracy is good. Sure, it isn’t perfect, but isn’t it shocking that leftists seem to prefer a dictatorship by people (Liberals) who only serve themselves and their radically-extreme, insane leftwing moonbat syncophants?
Democracy is clearly the single best option for keeping order in civilization. It is ultimately self-correcting via the ordinary people, which is good. We saw this in the defeat of the terrible “Liberal” regime in the last election after Canadian voters were jolted awake from their long, blissfully ignorant slumber and turfed the feckers!
Sure, sometimes asshats get elected, but I’d rather have an elected asshat who must either step down after a few years or submit to re-election than some self-appointed monster like Saddam Hussein or Fidel Castro.
(Leftists: don’t bother to cite Hitler. What must be done in the case of those who get elected and proceed to turn dictator-for-life and commit mass murder and attempt world domination is the Free World must wage war against such a regime to remove the tyrant, and that is historically demonstrated as the right thing to do, if done properly, but that is a debate for another thread, not this one)
The left can scream and whine that they prefer a dictatorial Senate that rubber stamps extreme-left bullcrap stuff put out there by Liberals and blocks legislation like they blocked, for nine months, the Federal Accountability Act, only reluctantly allowing passage just the other day after stalling for pure partisan political reasons to try to protect the Liberal Party from accountability for as long as possible, prior to the next election. (Expect the Libs to force an election as fast as possible to try to win again so they can cover up whatever evidence they can and block or stonewall the multitude of criminal investigations ongoing into their actions while last in office).
The left/Liberals being either opposed, lukewarm or critical/dismissive about increased democratization of this Canadian institution which affects us more than we realize… it makes me think of how many folks long ago were opposed to allowing women to vote. And it doesn’t help that new Supreme Librano Overlord Stephanie Dion is promising to throw democracy into the toilet just so he can say that he has ‘x’ proportion of females relative to males running for election to the House. This is a backwards step for women, actually, and sends them the message that the Liberals and their leader Stephane Dion don’t believe that they are capable of being nominated the hard way… obviously for the leftwing prejudice that being female is like a handicap or infirmity that requires state action to ameliorate. Shame on the Liberals/leftists for sending such a terrible, esteem- and confidence-destroying message to Canadian women! Of course, it isn’t a surprise, as these folks never seem to have a problem with the way Islam treats women… the avoidance of offending a “religion” known for chopping off peoples’ heads more than even the Chinese practice executions is more important than actually, in practice, treating women as truly equal, simply ensuring that men and women have the same opportunities (rather than simply appointing people on the basis of gender and nothing more, for political optics reasons and for trying to fool/manipulate female voters into voting for the Liberals, incorrectly believing that the Liberals are good for their real interests… how does discriminating against men who want to run for Parliament just so women can do it instead possibly advance womens’ equality? It doesn’t, except in the disordered minds of Liberals/leftists). It only foments division and resentment! Then again, the Liberals are an extremely divisive party whenever such politics is expected to get more votes!
Liberals/leftists needn’t have such an infantile phobia about having ordinary Canadians in general decide who shall take their tax dollars and go to work as their representatives.
I never, ever liked, one bit, seeing Jean Chretien or Paul Martin appointing cronies and leftwing extremist activists to take my tax dollars and tell me what I must put up with, regardless of my interests! They serve themselves and leftwing extremists only!
You see, only the Conservatives are progressive. Democratizing the appointments to the Senate is a progressive move in the right direction and the Liberals/leftists must get onside, get with the program. Otherwise, the Liberals/leftists will forever be rightly seen as antidemocratic and selfish.
Shane (12:37 AM), I was only pointing out the humour that I found in Mary’s attempt to issue a grave threat to Stephane Dion regarding the behaviour of Alberta voters. Is the threat that if Dion doesn’t watch it, they’ll get even angrier and vote for Bush?
‘Someone please check on Jason Cherniak, I think he’s having a stroke’
I think a more appropriate title for Cherniak’s “Harper, please stop blustering” would be “Harper, please stop kicking our asses. It hurts and you’re mean”.
Thanks for pointing me to Mr. Cherniak’s post. I think he raises some interesting points. Does anyone have any thoughtful (or even shallow) responses to any of what he says, or just juvenile catcalls?
Well obviously you should go back and read the comments. There were quite a few thoughtful responses to Cherniak.
Turn on a dime means separation. Today we got a new premier, tomorrow we will see his cabinet. He has cut 6 positions. And, when we do turn on a dime, it lasts for over 35 years. We turned on Mulroney, for his double cross re appointed an elected senator in Alberta. He thought he had AB in his pocket. And we got rid of Annie when the truth come out about her so called eligible voters. They had to vote in the riding of their residence, not their office. And Don, why can’t you accept the truth re dions english. Harper, Manning and Belinda, plus others, have been flogged forever in the msm re their french. Now the tables are turned and you can’t handle it. Once western farmers find out how much has been stolen from them over the years from the CWB even they will get mad. The only bias and bigotry on this blog are from liberals and other kooks against white females, males and christians who vote other than liberal or ndp.
There are other more important issues the Gov’t avoids to spend their energies on an dinosaur senate. It was never meant and never will be fair. To even the playing field abolish it.
Has dion considered that just possibly women would be elected to the senate. How many female liberals are there now. And how can dion say he is for more women when martin pulled every trick to get rid of Sheila Copps. Then, they made Martha give up her hopes for a seat and let Belinda run in her place. If BS is an example of women to be appointed as candidates nothing can save the liberals. How many delegates did Martha get, 2% I think. Does that show that even liberals wont vote for women. Then, incumbants wont face a nomination fight, but dion said he would only appoint women in winnable seats. Does that mean no women running in Alberta. Does that mean that if he doesn’t appoint a woman in your riding, he thinks it is unwinnable for the liberals. That man must learn to speak english so we can quit twisting his words. We have 6 wks of no question period or newman to spin dions crap. Maybe by the time the House sits again, everyone will have forgot him. Oh dam, Politics is still on.
Well, Don, post number two, if it isn’t Marylin Manson, pug faced, pot bellied freak of propogation.
Polls or trolls dropping? They’re all Lie-beral and not worthy all of the time.
Well, Don, post number two, if it isn’t Marylin Manson, pug faced, pot bellied freak of propogation.
Polls or trolls dropping? They’re all Lie-beral and not worthy all of the time.
American women go home. We don’t want your ghetto scenes.We don’t need no war machines. We don’t need your senate. A complete waste of my tax dollars. When are we going to give Harper the boot.