Stephen Harper's vaunted Senate reform agenda is in jeopardy, with Newfoundland becoming the fourth province to insist that provincial consent must be obtained to change Canada's upper house.
In a letter to the prime minister, Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Danny Williams joins Ontario, Quebec and New Brunswick in contending that Parliament cannot unilaterally reform the Senate.
The number of provinces weighing in against Harper's proposed reforms and the vehemence of their objections could now give the Liberal-dominated Senate justification for killing S-4, which is currently stalled in a Senate committee.
Provincial governments, representing 2/3 of Canadians, not to mention Saskatchewan's concerns and British Columbia's less than enthusiastic endorsement, all combine to make the attack ads look factually laughable. Canada, nary a leader to be found, virtually anywhere. Dion apparently is in good company, while Harper looks increasingly out of step. The ads look ridiculous, and as an added bonus, Van Loan's favorite talking point, to distract from the Conservatives problems, has less and less resonance, or relation to reality. The Liberal Senate, protecting the will of the majority. Interesting concept.
2 comments:
''Newfoundland becoming the fourth province to insist that provincial consent must be obtained to change Canada's upper house.''
For an issue that is panned as a 'non-issue', it certainly is getting alot of attention from the premiers. They want 'in' on the changes.
Perhaps this is a desired effect of the ads...senate reform as an election issue??
Harper's trying to make this reform an election issue. With manufacturing suffering, the volatile situation all over the world, etc. I hardly think that senate reform is the most important thing in the minds of taxpayers.
Harper is "afraid" to tackle real issues, obviously.
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