June 11, 2007 Brian Marlatt (The Hill Times):
The Senate is a philosophically-conservative institution intended to provide a check on the excesses of partisan elected politicians in the Commons, meaning particularly in the 21st century the Prime Minister and Cabinet. But that is lost on a government which sees as its ideal the executive power of a president and an Upper Chamber designed to jealously pursue the divisive parochial interests of state or provincial “rights”; indeed, “Canada’s New Government” patterns itself after 1776 not 1867. Brian Marlatt
Harper clearly has more than one purpose for his parliamentary agenda. In particular he has used every opportunity to present arguments against the senate which have been entirely too facile to be meaningful, yet entirely too simple and therefore effective with the masses.
You can imagine the election advertisements already… carrying on with the theme of “entitlement” from the last election.
Published yesterday in the Ottawa Sun
Overheard in question period: Government House Leader Peter Van Loan calling on the Liberals to “stand up for democracy,” this in reference to goings on in the Senate.
Whatever one thinks about the senate, or the Liberals, ought not this “new government” first focus on cleaning up its own house in the Commons? Van Loan’s dissembling protests aside, the joint seems as messy or worse than ever.
We have a prime minister that won’t allow many of his cabinet ministers to answer questions; a government House leader who is apparently running Canada single-handedly, given how frequently he stands up for questions directed at others; a defense minister that can’t even defend himself; a best-selling book, “How to Disrupt Committees For Dummies” which needs no further comment; and a PM who quite willingly and frequently runs roughshod over democracy whether it’s kicking out progressive conservatives with principles, or appointing to cabinet the unelected and Liberal turncoats who are bereft of them.
The depth of Van Loan and his leader’s sanctimony appears bottomless. Michael Watkins
Also published in The Hill Times June 18, 2007
Climate Impact of Quadrupling Atmospheric CO2
Imagine a world where the most productive farmland (total output) in the world – North America – is a barren wasteland – and you’ll be imagining what this U.S. government report imagines will happen if we do not bring greenhouse gas emissions under control and effect reductions.
Complete with pretty charts, its a must-read.