Today marks eight years since Stephen Harper and his Conservatives gained power. How the time flies. Chris Hall writes that those years have honed Harper’s survival instincts (which makes all of those articles about Harper stepping down this year, which are still being published, all the more absurd).

Preston Manning launched a new website to promulgate constitutionally unsound and fairytale notions of Senate reform, coupled with an online poll of which “reform” method Canadians would prefer, with the option of abolition also in there. He plans to give the results to Democratic Reform Minister Pierre Poilievre, who will use the unscientific data to make a number of ridiculous Question Period talking points, and our debate on the health of our institutions will be poorer for it.

On the final day of his Israel stop, Stephen Harper was given an honorary doctorate from Tel Aviv University – after which he made a number of comments on the politics of the region including the war in Syria – before spending the day seeing several holy sites as well as the bird sanctuary named in his honour. He’s now off to Jordan to meet with the king there, and to tour some of the refugee camps that are flooded with displaced Syrians.

Chris Alexander is bragging that the new refugee claims system has dropped the number of claims from “safe” countries by 87 percent, and saved some $600 million. What he neglects are that there are legitimate claims from some of those “safe” countries that are likely being turned away now by a too-fast process with no chance for an appeal, and that he’s likely saving that money on the backs of legitimate refugees who now won’t be able to access help, but it sure looks good to talk about stopping “bogus” claimants! Alexander went on to scold Ontario for setting up a temporary health programme for refugee claimants, largely instituted because doctors were in a bind when it came to treating those who needed the care. Ontario plans to bill the federal government, but Alexander insists that it’s not his problem, and that the provinces are basically encouraging those same bogus claimants to abuse the system.

CBSA has received a $15 million budget over four years to pursue their goal of stripping the refugee status of those no longer deemed eligible, with a particular focus on the Muslim Brotherhood.

Correctional Services of Canada says that they’re facing serious shortages over the next five years, which means that we’ll see even more double bunking, which it bears reminding are contrary to good correctional policy, our own public policy, and international agreements that we’ve signed. Not that the government will acknowledge that, as they try to cast “private accommodation” as somehow coddling prisoners.

What’s that? Lowering tariffs on sporting goods didn’t have any effect on the prices that consumers pay? You don’t say! That said, I’m not sure what the NDP would do differently to ensure that customers saw the difference. Institute price controls?

Employment and Social Development says they’re looking at creating an online game to help students with career advice. Liberal Scott Brison says that it’s good to see some outside-the-box thinking, but it’s he doubts it would actually send them to government websites and the money would be better spent reopening youth employment centres.

Now that the final report of the fighter jet procurement secretariat is being drafted, the makers of the Rafale fighter are pressing for a quick decision.

Maclean’s looks at the demise of Kathy Dunderdale’s leadership, and what prompted a departure mere weeks after she said she would run again in 2015. It’s all been building for a while, apparently, and things came to a head with her caucus leader’s defection to the Liberals last week.

In the wake of the Justice Nadon reference hearing, Adam Dodek revisits the new process for vetting Supreme Court justices that Harper put into place and declares it to be a failure – opaque where transparency was promised, and wholly lacking in accountability (though one would argue that accountability rests with the Prime Minister by virtue of Crown Prerogative). To that end, Dodek says that Harper must either reform his process, or scrap the charade entirely.

The Green Party lost their other deputy leader, Adrienne Carr, as she wants to focus on her Vancouver City Council re-election bid.

Anne Kingston looks at the politics of Chrétien’s big gala in Toronto on Tuesday, and the various tributes and yes, barbs and how they reflect on Canadians as a whole.

Economist Stephen Gordon looks at the problems with the Bank of Canada’s forecasting methods, and why they got it wrong for four years in a row. Andrew Coyne sees the falling dollar and the Bank’s statement yesterday, and worries that the Bank is now just a branch plant of the Department of Finance, no longer able to exercise any meaningful independence.

Embassy has a feature on diplomats in same-sex relationships who get posted to countries that aren’t so welcoming to it.

And PostMedia has started their own roundup of Hill miscellanea, with the Tuesday and Wednesday editions here.

Up today: The Transportation Safety Board is set to unveil their new rail safety recommendations.