To be a senator, you must be a Canadian citizen, at least 30 years of age, own $4,000 of equity in land in your province, have a personal net worth of $4,000, and live in the province that you plan to represent.
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No not the hockey team. The old farts club in parliament. That vestigial remnant of the aristocracy, the days of Lords and Ladies, the Senate.
The Senate was intended to mirror the British House of Lords, in that it was meant to represent the social and economic élite.
It seems that the Liberal bloggers over at Progressive Bloggers are all aghast at the idea of abolishing their favorite retirement village; the Senate. All sorts of slagging of Jack Layton and the NDP is going on over this issue. As I posted about here. Not a peep out of them when Progressive Conservative Senator Hughie Segal announced his plan to call for a referendum on Abolishing the Senate weeks ago.
Mainly it is because they put their hopes in the Red Chamber, coincidently the colour of their party, where they hold the majority to be able to do what their Party in Opposition cannot do; oppose the Harper Government. They have no more vision than the realpolitik of the moment.
Read these pathetic partisan posts and you will see what I mean.
Why Canada Should Not Abolish the Senate
It is currently the closest thing we have to an actual opposition to the government.
Senate Reform
The end goal of yesterday’s announcement isn’t to abolish the senate, it’s to abolish the Liberal opposition. It’s another example of the fact that Layton is willing to work more closely with Stephen Harper than any other leader, so long as it’s good for his party
If there is going to be a referendum in the next election I would like to see a vote on reforming the voting system to proportional representation model. Jack has joined Harper’s in his plan to distract Canadians from our disastrous climate change, child care, poverty, and First Nations policies so we can yammer on about something that matters very little
"Harper would back plan for referendum on abolishing Senate." Sure he'll take Jack up on his offer. He's not an idiot, after all. He'll absolutely take up Jack on his offer to get the Senate front and center on the nation's agenda. He wants an Americanized elected-equal Senate, as he does with most things. So if these two clowns have their way, we'll be spending eons of time in the next few years debating Senate reform, when the country is not crying out for it and has plenty of other priorities
There is no doubt that the New Democrats and the Conservatives are in league together. There have been moments in Canadian political history where they?ve supported each other?s democracy to perverse the Canadian democratic tradition that has been celebrated for over a century. Conservative and NDP sources have told CTV that the Harper government will back a NDP motion slated to call for a national referendum to abolish the unelected Senate that?ll be introduced to the House of Commons next Tuesday.
DANGER DANGER DANGER
I was just watching Thomas Mulcair on CBC News. The NDP is now proposing a referendum on abolition of the Senate. To begin with, I doubt you would get a majority in every province so it's a non-starter.
Once again showing that Liberals are often no more 'progressive' than their partisan playmates over at the Blogging Tories. As if we needed any reminder.
Cudos go to those progressive bloggers who actually have defended this long standing policy of the CCF/NDP and the Left In Canada. Of course two of these are Dippers, but they are not particularly partisan.
Longheld NDP policy having its day
Today some big news broke on the electoral reform front. On the weekend in Winnipeg, NDP Leader Jack Layton called for a nation wide referendum on the abolition of the senate. That announcement should not have surprised anyone simply because the NDP and it's forerunner, the CCF, have been calling for the abolition of the Senate since 1932. The NDP also announced that they would be putting a motion before the House of Commons upon it's return to have this referendum. The Senate Abolition policy is hardly new policy for the NDP, but what added to the news was the announcement today Stephen Harper and his party would back the NDP's motion in the House.
Liberal MPs should take note, this is what effective opposition looks like.Despite what Stephane Dion might tell Liberal MPs, opposition parties are supposed get their ideas on the agenda, not roll over and have the government get its way like Liberals have of late
Changes To The Senate On The Way?
Now on the motion itself: I’m personally in favour of creating a “Citizen Assembly On Senate Reform” and let’s them decide what kind of action should be taken, approved by a referendum. But, hey, I don’t think that the current Senate is acceptable in today’s world, and abolition sounds like an acceptable alternative to me.
Though to be fair even some Liberals get it.
Stephen Harper is not Always Wrong
I guess this post should be titled why the senate should be abolished. Let's review our options on the Canadian Senate:The Status Quo:An unelected senate/ or quasi-elected (Harper's appointment of the senator from Alberta) senate with almost as much power (on paper) as the House of Commons.…
And then some folks at PB actually are defending the longstanding dream of the right wing populists in the Reform party of an Triple E Senate as an alternative to abolition. Anything but abolition.
Senate Abolition VS. Senate Reform
With a referendum being discussed, and potentially in the offing, the topic of senate reform has suddenly moved from the back burner to the front burner for many Canadians. This may provide an opportunity to begin the process of airing public concerns and potentially moving from an unelected, unequal and ineffective chamber toward the type of elected, equal and effective one that would be the most beneficial for everyone involved.
When push comes to shove the Liberals will accept Senate Reform to save their Red Chamber. That is perhaps what irks them most about Jacks move. They will be forced to accept the Conservatives Senate Reform as the lesser of two evils.
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File this under As Above, So Below or the Microcosm is a reflection of the Macrocosm.
Jason Cherniak truly is a Liberal. Like his leader he does not know whether he is coming or going. He threatens and blusters to shut down his blog and then doesn't. Sort of like Dion's threats over the Throne Speech.And like his leader he gags those whom he disagrees with or who disagree with him.As I wrote last week, I'm not sure how much longer this blog will be around. However, as long as it is it will be my board to advertise my ideas. I will allow comments that disagree with me, but only if they disagree in a reasonable way.
Don't keep us in suspense like your flip flopping leader, don't change your comment policy yet again just shut your blog down already and get over it.
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If anyone was in doubt that Jason Cherniak is a conservative, as in a classic parliamentary Tory, this should be the final nail in that coffin.
As if we needed any more evidence.
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Special To Le Revue Gauche By lirpa sloof 
Rumor has it that Liberal Blog boss Jason Cherniak will be celebrating Ukrainian Easter this year.
It is alleged, by those in the know, that Cherniak is claiming Ukrainian Easter is a secular celebration not a religious one. One that celebrates the ethnic diaspora of Ukrainians in Canada.
Those in the know say Cherniak was seen making pysanka at his baba's house.
Those in the know claim that Ukrainian Easter is actually an ancient pagan celebration and the Pysanka, or Easter Egg is a pagan symbol of the ancient bird goddess of the Slavs as well as the rebirth of Spring from death of Winter.
It is also alleged by these same people that Cherniak was seen in his backyard whipping himself with pussy willows this Palm Sunday crying; "Dion, Dion, why hast thou forsaken me?"
Asked if he thought it was a contradiction to celebrate Passover and Ukrainian Easter, Cherniak was alleged to have replied; Lev Davidovich Bronstein didn't think so.
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Paganism
April Fools
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Jason Cherniak just cannot say; I am sorry, I was wrong, I won't do it again. Jason tries to use weasel words to justify what he did, even when he says he was wrong.
In a convoluted legalistic manner he does apologize sort of, after a whirlwind of protests from Progressive Bloggers of all political stripes. But first he whined about the protests;
For the record, I never expected this sort of reaction. The purpose of the post was to argue for a good compromise on the hijab issue. I only mentioned the Chow rumour because I thought it was the best example of why the hijab thing is about voter fraud and not about religion. In hindsight, I wish I had used a less controversial example because the real point was lost in all the yelling. Frankly, though, I didn't realize that so many bloggers were so clueless about the rumours out there.
Then he decided to publish a sort of retraction. And it took him till 11 pm EDT today to finally do it.
However he only links to his apology in a link in his original article and in his second article. Which is not identified as his apology, and is one link amongst many.
He has not removed the offending article perse, nor struck through, nor removed the offending statements about Olivia Chow. Nor has he attached a correction apology statement link at the beginning of the offending article. All these are the proper journalistic procedures to be done to avoid charges of libel and defamation in Canadian law. And as a lawyer and media consultant he should know that.
Instead he posted this;
UPDATE
I'm sorry if you read this and don't like me reporting the rumour about Trinity-Spadina, but it IS a real rumour. It is not the same as accusing her of having relations with sheep, because that is not a real rumour that is circulating in Toronto. Further, I am not demanding that she deny it.
And as you can see below he says in his post I Was Wrong that he made a mistake, but still no; I am sorry I was wrong. Because of course Jason can never be wrong.
Jason there is no such thing as good faith when you rumour monger.
I initially used the Chow rumour as an example because I have heard it a few times from reliable people and thought it was a fair example to give. As a partisan, I think I was too quick to just assume that the rumour was reasonable to believe. The people I have spoken too probably made the same mistake.
So, to be clear, I am sorry for using Trinity-Spadina as an example in my initial post. However, that does not change the fact that I made the mistake in good faith.
My error here was in failing to look more closely at the rumour before assuming that it was believable. The truth is that if the rumour were about a Liberal, I would have done more research and figured out that it was bogus before posting it.
Yes you would have and that shows your intolerance towards other progressive political competitors in the body politic . But the point is you posted it and still have not removed the offending post. So lets get with it and do the right thing, re- write your article and re-post it without the references to Olivia Chow.
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Why are folks supplying Warren Kinsella with a list of their all time favorite 'smart women' bloggers after he proved himself a SEXIST PIG with his top ten list comment;
"WE NEED MORE SMART FEMALE BLOGGERS NOW!"
Yes he did scream that loud. And yes he did say smart. As in not a moron as he likes to call some of us, female or male. Oh yes and he likes to call folks crypto-fascists and anti-semites.
Gee Warren I guess that makes you a DUMB MALE BLOGGER for such a stupid sexist statement.
Is it because Warren is a rock star? A columnist with the National Pest? A nice guy? The biggest egoist in the Canadian Blogosphere after Kate at SDA?
Nope its because he is a Liberal and his top ten list was all fellow Liberals and most of the response is coming from fellow Liberalbloggers whom he insulted by his ignorance, his ignorant list and whom he ignored.
He made a sexist list and then made a feeble attempt to excuse the fact that he FAILED TO INCLUDE MORE THAN ONE WOMAN BLOGGER ON HIS TOP TEN LIST. And she is an obscure one at that.
And instead of being blasted for his sexist attitude is inundated with faint praise and lists of favorite female bloggers. Go figure.
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Those in the know say Cherniak was seen making pysanka at his baba's house.
