Roundup: Amendments during the meltdown

While the Rob Ford story goes into total meltdown in Toronto, the amendment process for the Fair Elections Act hit close to the halfway mark last night, with just one day left before the clock runs out – and it might go a bit faster if parties didn’t file nonsense amendments (postal codes on ballots? Veiled voting? Letting all candidates be photographed casting ballots instead of just leaders? Seriously?) or go on lengthy tirades about things. But hey, what do I know? Meanwhile, Conservative MPs have been talking to The Canadian Press about the fact that the caucus has had a great deal of input into the changes being proposed to the bill after they too were unsatisfied with the original form.

The Privacy Commissioner has revealed that federal enforcement bodies like the RCMP and CBSA have requested data from telecom providers some 1.2 million times per year, without a warrant. The Commissioner wants a more detailed breakdown about the kind of data being issued, but the telecom providers and the government aren’t exactly being cooperative. Bell Canada said that most of the requests are for 411-type information, but that hardly makes sense that the police would be coming to them for that kind of information, and that they would be making that many warrantless requests, which are only supposed to be used for ticking bombs and crimes in progress.

APTN is reporting that compiled RCMP statistics show that the number of missing and murdered Aboriginal women may be closer to 1000 than the previously reported 600 or 800 figures – but the report has yet to be released, and they won’t comment until it is. (I am curious what the time period is, mind you). If this is the case, and the number is 1000, one has to wonder if that will be enough for the government to finally call a public inquiry.

In the wake of the coroner’s inquest into the death of Ashley Smith, the government is launching a pilot programme so that the most severely mentally ill female offenders will soon be sent to provincial health facilities for treatment. So that’s something.

After Charlie Angus wrote the RCMP Commissioner to demand answers on why the “charges were dropped” against Nigel Wright, Commissioner Bob Paulson wrote back – and somehow the letter made it to the media before it made it to Angus himself. Paulson rapped Angus on the knuckles for suggesting that charges had been laid and then dropped, when they never existed, reminded him that they don’t communicate everything at once for a reason, and said that all would be revealed in time. Paulson also took offence to Angus’ suggestion that the PMO screens his correspondence, and justifiably so.

The Canadian Bar Association thinks that some of the provisions in Bill C-24, which amends the Citizenship Act, are unconstitutional. In particular, the segments about new requirements for citizenship, to show that the intent to reside in Canada, and the expanded grounds for the revocation of citizenship are all flagged as areas of concern. Good to know (and really, is that a surprise given this government’s track record?)

The government is sending HMCS Regina off to assist in the NATO standoff with Russia over Ukraine, we still have very little idea what they’ll actually be doing, as these kinds of questions remain unanswered, leaving our own defence officials scrambling.

In the wake of the Supreme Court reference on the Senate, New Brunswick premier David Alward’s plans for province-wide Senate nominee elections are thrown into limbo, especially given what the Court said about changing the manner of selection as changing the defined role of the Upper Chamber. And so the study of the issue will continue. Meanwhile, those senators from Alberta that were elected by that province’s (rather dubious) process are defending the process that they were elected by, never mind that the process was fuzzy, conducted under provincial party banners for federal party seats, was boycotted by two of said parties, that there was little to no campaigning or advertising, and that most of the candidates were little more than names to be ranked on a ballot that merely confirmed provincial party preferences rather than anything substantive.

Sex workers don’t think that they’ve been meaningfully consulted on the government’s forthcoming prostitution legislation, and fear that people unfamiliar with sex work but who are opposed to it will be over-represented in the consultations, and they remain concerned that the Nordic Model is being favoured by the government, even though it would simply replicate the conditions that caused the Supreme Court to strike down the previous legal regime. The Senate Liberals heard from experts on the issue at an open caucus meeting Wednesday morning where those who had experience with the industry called for a New Zealand legalization model, though at least one person felt that it would simply create further demand and increase the “commodification” of women – as though sex isn’t already a negotiated commodity in everyday circumstances, including marriage.

Nearly 3000 jobs at the AECL Chalk River nuclear facility are due to be privatized as the new ownership arrangements for the facility continue to evolve.

The government will finally be amending its spelling of marijuana, so that it’s no longer “marihuana.” One does wonder about some of the other arcane spellings that remain on the books. Uptake remains inconsistent to date, and some proponents like to retain the ‘h’ spelling to distinguish medical marijuana from the recreational drug.

It looks like the four Liberal campaigns from the last round of byelection ended up in deficit position based on Elections Canada filings, but the party’s national director insists that it was just a snapshot in time, and that by the time they get their campaign rebates, the debts will all be cleared.

And with yesterday being Stephen Harper’s birthday, David Akin looks at how he’s moving up the list of longest-serving prime ministers, and by the next election, he’ll be sixth-longest serving.