Roundup: Nonsense parliamentary suggestions

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It’s not just the Senate bat-signal I see in the sky, it’s also the Parliament bat-signal as a whole. Starting with the Senate, one of those so-called “Senator-elects” in Alberta writes a baffling column about “restructuring” the Senate to better reflect regions, while moaning about how Alberta’s oil industry isn’t getting the same help as the auto industry would when being faced with job losses. I’m not quite sure what he’s trying to get at, but the thing with the traditional moans about “Western alienation” and hoping that cockamamie schemes like a “Triple E” Senate is that it would do precisely zero to counter the problem, particularly as the problems they’re trying to fix generally can’t be solved by the Senate in the first place. Moving along, former NDP MP and former democratic reform critic Craig Scott pens a gong show of an op-ed about changing the Office of the Speaker in the Commons, supposedly to better insure its independence but it comes off pretty much as the sour grapes of third party grumbling that it really is. Giving the Speaker all kinds of new powers with no real checks on them? Giving him or her the independence to rule with an iron fist despite the real threats inherent within Responsible Government? Plus a bitter kick at the protocol position of the Senate Speaker? It’s incoherent nonsense. Speaking Speakers, outgoing Commons Speaker Andrew Scheer has some thoughts about reforming Question Period, most of which make more sense than what Scott had to say. I have a column out later today that picks up on these points, and I promise you it’ll make far more sense than Craig Scott’s rambling.

Good reads:

  • Here is some more reaction to the Alberta climate change plan from Trevor Tombe, Stephen Ewart, Michael McCullough, Jen Gerson, Colby Cosh, and Andrew Coyne.
  • The first ministers all met yesterday to talk climate in advance of the Paris talks, and the meeting itself was the message of change that Trudeau wanted to send.
  • Brad Wall, meanwhile, is casting himself as Stephen Harper-lite as he has political turf to protect with a spring election on the way.
  • While John McCallum cautions about paying too much attention to leaks, it sounds like there will be exceptions for gay men with the refugee exclusions.
  • At the Duffy trial, the Crown scored some points on the Donahue testimony, where it really starts to look like he managed a slush fund, complete with yet more invoices.
  • Here is a look at what some of our options might be for training troops in Iraq.
  • It turns out that on the way out, Stephen Harper made some appointments and re-appointments in advance, including a couple of federal museum directors.
  • RCMP and Commons security members who stepped up for the October 22nd attack were finally honoured by the RCMP yesterday.
  • John Pepall makes the interesting case the ministerial mandate letters codify the subordinate nature of a cabinet that should be made up of equals.
  • Stephen Gordon deconstructs the wrong-headed notions behind “good” versus “bad” jobs in our political and economic discourse.
  • Jen Gerson sings the praise of paper candidates who make good, but I’m still not sold on their merits.

Odds and ends:

Mauril Bélanger has been mysteriously losing his voice, which may force him to drop out of the race for Speaker.

The predicted results of the Newfoundland and Labrador election may mean that there are no Conservative governments left in Canada.

2 thoughts on “Roundup: Nonsense parliamentary suggestions”

  1. Re: in the Odds and ends section — I think you meant that the predicted results of the NL election might mean there would be no Conservative GOVERNMENTS left in Canada, not that there would be no Conservative parties left.

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