Canada Post Debate Fact Check

It was one of the longest filibusters in the history of Canada's House of Commons, but Bill C-6, An Act to provide for the resumption and continuation of postal services, is now the law of the land.

As ever, debate on the bill was intense as well as prolonged. But how much of the argument was based on fact? I'll be looking at five statements from each of the official parties in the House that I feel needs some verification.

Reaction to First Republican Debate

Seven candidates for the Republican nomination for President of the United States squared off in Manchester NH tonight.  New Hampshire is the first state to hold a primary contest for this office, and the second (after Iowa) to hold any presidential nominating contest.

My Canadian Constitution Wish List

The Canadian Press and Harris-Decima released a poll last week suggesting that a majority of Canadians would be willing to open up the Constitution for certain purposes, including Senate reform, electoral reform, and finally getting Québec's signature on it.  However, as we have seen many times in the past, constitutional changes can be messy, as it requires the approval of at least 7 provinces representing 50% of the population, and there will certainly be disagreements.

So if we were to open up the Constitution, here are five things I'd want to see:

Tea Party Presents Golden Opportunity For Republicans

Yesterday, a special election was held to fill a vacancy in the US House of Representatives for the 26th District of New York (as with most Congressional districts, the shape is so weird that I won't bother trying to name it, but it's in the northwest of the state). In this election, we saw (I believe for the first time) distinct candidates for the Republican Party and the Tea Party.

This got me thinking: what if the Tea Party were to officially exist in its own right, as opposed to simply being a wing of the Republican Party? I think that this would give the Republicans an opportunity to take back government for a decade - that is, if this is an opportunity they are willing to take.

Senate Reform Without Constitutional Messiness

Prime Minister Stephen Harper signaled plans to appoint three defeated Conservative candidates to the Senate yesterday. Larry Smith and Josee Verner will be representing Quebec, while Fabian Manning will be representing Newfoundland & Labrador.

Reform of the Senate is usually messy because it requires a change to the Constitution. However, here is an idea (which I am basing loosely off of a proposal put forward in the British House of Lords) that could reform the Senate without having to amend the Constitution.