Roundup: A “third party” option

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Six senators have taken the first steps to forming their own quasi-caucus with the Upper Chamber, as a means of trying to better sort out how to deal with life as independent senators. The list includes former Conservatives, Liberals and Independent Progressive Conservative Elaine McCoy, and they are calling themselves a “working group” as opposed to a caucus or party. Their aim is to get “third party” status that will allow them to better control their own destiny. Currently, party whips in the Senate control not only committee assignment duties, but also office allocations, parking spaces, trips for inter-parliamentary delegations, and all of those other administrative details that independents currently don’t have access to. Rather than turn over those kinds of details to Senate administration, they are looking to come up with a means to start controlling it themselves, which is important because it protects their privilege as Senators, which is important in how they govern themselves and are responsible for their own affairs. This is a very important consideration, and as the Chamber continues its process of forced evolution and change with the advent of decreasing partisanship and a greater number of independents on the way, because it has the potential to find a way through some of those process hurdles that are currently tripping them up. We’ll see how many other independent senators join this working group – after all, official party status in the Senate requires five members, which they have for the moment but at least one of their number is soon to hit the mandatory retirement age, and it would be incumbent upon them to keep their membership numbers up in order to carry on carrying on with their own affairs. This will hopefully help have systems in place for when the new senators start arriving, some of whom may opt to stay independent (others of course free to join a caucus if they wish), and allow these senators to assign one of their own as a kind of “whip” to deal with the administrative duties, and hopefully get more resources for their offices when it comes to things like research dollars. Overall, though, it will hopefully give them some organisational clout so that they are better able to answer stand up to the current oligarchy of the party structure in the Senate. Elsewhere, Senator Patterson has tabled a bill to amend the constitution and remove the property requirements for Senate eligibility (which I previous wrote about their relative harmlessness).

Good reads:

  • In Washington, Trudeau and Obama agreed to methane reduction targets, information sharing at the borders, and Obama will visit in the summer.
  • And yes, here’s more about the State Dinner, and some of the guests.
  • The Correctional Investigator released his annual report, and to no one’s surprise, Indigenous and Black Canadians remain over-represented in prisons.
  • Some judges have concerns about proceeding with simple marijuana possession trials given the impending legalization.
  • Makers of the Super Horner, an F-35 rival, is increasingly optimistic about their chances in Canada, while the US is anxious for a decision one way or the other.
  • Executives from the gong show known as Shared Services Canada were hauled before committee to explain themselves.
  • The Privacy Commissioner has recommendations for how to fix the Act.
  • Leftist voices in the NDP are looking to hasten Thomas Mulcair’s departure.
  • The Canadian Press’ Baloney Meter™ looks at the claims around “skinny basic” cable packages.
  • Michael Den Tandt wonders if Rona Ambrose isn’t the best choice for permanent leader of the Conservatives.
  • Paul Wells writes about the significance of Trudeau’s lobby day in Washington.

Odds and ends:

Cheryl Gallant emailed an apology for her bizarre fundraising request.

Here is Kady O’Malley’s liveblog of Maryam Monsef’s appearance at committee on the Senate appointment process.