Political update: what you missed over the holidays
Amanda Roth
Issue date: 1/6/09 Section: News
By the end of last semester and the beginning of Brock students' holiday break, the Canadian government had fallen deep into political turmoil.
The Conservative government's economic update on Nov. 29 ignited the near collapse of Harper's minority government, only six weeks after Canada's recent federal election.
This lead to the creation of the coalition, in which Liberal, NDP and Bloc Québécois parties vowed to join forces against the Tories.
During all of this, many Canadians set the prospect of these issues aside to properly celebrate the holidays. However, with the beginning of January well on its way, many important events have taken place behind the limelight of the season.
On Dec. 22 Prime Minister Stephen Harper appointed 18 Canadians to the Senate. Among these people were broadcasters Mike Duffy and Pamela Wallin and Olympian Nancy Greene Rain.
Duffy, who has been a dominant staple of Canadian politics in the media, with his CTV daily political talk show, was appointed a vacant P.E.I. seat within the Senate.
The event marked a record for the most Senate seats filled in a single day.
Through these appointments, Harper sought to avoid the possible coalition government from obtaining the opportunity of filling the seats themselves.
As it was a previously Liberal-dominated Senate, Harper's 18 choices were that of Conservatives.
Throughout all of this, Harper continues to support Senate reform, and had all incoming Senators agree to support an eight-year term limit, along with other Senate reform legislation.
The government also states that all new appointees must resign and submit to elections if their province introduces such reforms.
However, it is not easy to obtain such reformations, as it requires constitutional reform.
This means that the government needs to persuade seven provinces, with at least 50 per cent of Canada's population that Senate reformation is in the best interests of the country.
On the same day of Harper's appointment of 18 new Senators, he also announced the appointment of Thomas Cromwell of the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal to the Supreme Court.
The Conservative government's economic update on Nov. 29 ignited the near collapse of Harper's minority government, only six weeks after Canada's recent federal election.
This lead to the creation of the coalition, in which Liberal, NDP and Bloc Québécois parties vowed to join forces against the Tories.
During all of this, many Canadians set the prospect of these issues aside to properly celebrate the holidays. However, with the beginning of January well on its way, many important events have taken place behind the limelight of the season.
On Dec. 22 Prime Minister Stephen Harper appointed 18 Canadians to the Senate. Among these people were broadcasters Mike Duffy and Pamela Wallin and Olympian Nancy Greene Rain.
Duffy, who has been a dominant staple of Canadian politics in the media, with his CTV daily political talk show, was appointed a vacant P.E.I. seat within the Senate.
The event marked a record for the most Senate seats filled in a single day.
Through these appointments, Harper sought to avoid the possible coalition government from obtaining the opportunity of filling the seats themselves.
As it was a previously Liberal-dominated Senate, Harper's 18 choices were that of Conservatives.
Throughout all of this, Harper continues to support Senate reform, and had all incoming Senators agree to support an eight-year term limit, along with other Senate reform legislation.
The government also states that all new appointees must resign and submit to elections if their province introduces such reforms.
However, it is not easy to obtain such reformations, as it requires constitutional reform.
This means that the government needs to persuade seven provinces, with at least 50 per cent of Canada's population that Senate reformation is in the best interests of the country.
On the same day of Harper's appointment of 18 new Senators, he also announced the appointment of Thomas Cromwell of the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal to the Supreme Court.
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