Senate of Canada

The character, the man, from "To Build a Fire" was arrogant in his decision to face the wild alone. If he had waited for the cold to stop or traveled with someone he might have survived. He was told it was dangerous. He chose to ignore the advice of others. He believed he was capable of survivin on his own. He brought only the supplies and wore only the clothing he thought he would need for the cold weather. He had never been in this cold of weather before but felt he had prepared and…

Imagine being stuck in the coldest environment possible. It is so cold that your limbs can barely move and the condensation from your breath freezes. This is what it’s like in the harsh Yukon climate, the setting of “To Build a Fire,” by Jack London. In the story, a man’s three biggest mistakes were ignoring the old man from Sulphur creek’s advice, having bad judgement, and travelling alone. One mistake the man made was ignoring the old man’s knowledgeable advice. The old man on Sulphur…

significant to the existence and operation of the Senate, as it is a modern interpretation of the constitution regarding the role and purpose of it. In this ruling, three key points about the senate were established; firstly, the Senate is meant to work together with the House of Commons not rival them, secondly, the Senate is a ‘chamber of sober second thought’, it’s purpose is to review and suggest improvements to proposed legislation, lastly, the Senate is to be independent from the influence…

When I first started research for a bill that I agree with and a bill that I do not agree with I started getting overwhelmed. I could not believe the amount of bills that need to be reviewed for such a short legislative session. I just just started looking at the bills by subject instead of trying to go through each bill to determine my choices. This task still proved daunting because some of the bills actually had duplicates filled by different legislatures that read exactly the same. But, I…

Process for Constitutional Amendment in Canada Alternatively to the Australian process of constitutional amendment, other countries have put in place varying devices that allow changes to their constitutions. Despite both having been derived from the United Kingdom common law system, and both having developed constitutions from a postcolonial perspective, Canada’s procedure is significantly distinct from Australia. While still containing restrictions, the Canadian amendment process has been…

The “Triple E Senate” model will be proposed as a viable tool for Senate reform, stressing the importance of an elective, effective, and equal Senate. The history of the Senate will first be analysed to demonstrate the superfluous nature of the chamber in a twentieth-century democracy. The following paragraph will then examine the Senator appointment process, arguing in the defence of an elected senate. Following that, the effectiveness of the Senate will be criticized proving a lack of…

first female prime minister of Canada once said, “Canada is the homeland of equality, justice and tolerance.” Canada is indeed a great representative of those qualities. However, how do these qualities apply to Canada as a country? Our political system is the foundation of Canada. It makes Canadians who they are and what they believe. It portrays equality, justice and tolerance through representative democracy, lobbying and the protection of rights and freedoms. Canada is governed by a…

Canada is a federal parliamentary democracy, that is as well technically a constitutional democracy under the dominion of the British Commonwealth; however, the British Commonwealth is purely ceremonial and does not possess any real control over the direction of Canada nor any actions dealing with Canadian foreign policy. The head of state of Canada is Queen Elizabeth II of the British Commonwealth, but as I stated earlier she holds no real power in Canada and is ceremonial. The true power in…

The Senate is most likely the least appreciated and most unknown of our national political institutions. Its work attracts neither the interest of the media, the sympathy of the politicians, nor even the curiosity of public. How paradoxical is that, very few Canadians have an understanding of the history, role, and operations of the Senate, and yet everyone seems to have an opinion on the establishment. Many Canadians are asking themselves whether we might be better off without the Senate. Over…

Is the Senate simply a waste of institutional space? Or is it an opportunity to make a change that is long overdue? An expense scandal involving several senators in December of 2012 sparked a political debate with regards to the future of the Senate of Canada. Most will agree that the Senate is a thoroughly flawed institution, however the pros and cons of each proposition should be weighed before any action is taken. After presenting each of the proposed options regarding what decision is to be…