Musings —12.31.2010 10:51 AM
—Predictions for 2011
Every year, I make ’em.
Every year, I get most or all spectacularly wrong. Happens without fail.
This year, I’ve penned my predictions for the Sun chain, and – happily, inexplicably – they have paid me for same. So I’d better get ’em right.
My prognostications will be in Sunday’s paper. But I thought I’d give the smart folks who comment regularly on wk. com – you know who you are, and I know who you are, too, pen names notwithstanding – an opportunity to join in on the fun. Below, I’ve posted the ten headings for my Sun predictions for the New Year – but I’ve left out the actual fortune-telling.
So, I invite you to offer up your own predictions in each of the ten categories – or, if you like, predict what I’m going to predict – and I’ll re-post the best ones on New Year’s day. Use comments, here.
Try it out! Have fun! Remember: you can’t possibly get as many predictions wrong as I do!
**
1. Election 2011:
2. And the winner will be…:
3. Galvanizing issue for 2011:
4. Stephen Harper will…
5. The provinces will…
6. Post-election, [FILL IN] will abound.
7. Ignatieff will…
8. A coalition will…
9. Scandal [FILL IN]
10. …our federal politicians [FILL IN].
Ignatieff will… Go back to Harvard (any similar institution will do, really). He’s itching to leave because he never expected it to be this much work. He thought he’d be PM by now and it doesn’t look likely any time soon. So, he’s hoping for an election because the only way he can walk away from politics with some dignity is to have fought in at least one.
And you my man will be proven like the rest of the Crappers how dismal and how brain drained you Crapper lovers are.
Harper will be shown the door quickly once Canadians who Crappers seem to speak for think Canadians do not want an election. Truth be know, they can hardly wait to show you parrots how completely wrong you all are and why you don’t speak for all Canadians, Maybe 30% tops if you come from the Alberta province and still believe that provincial and federal politics are one and the same.
And may your year be as crappy as the 2010 was for most of us who really care about all Canadians in general and those of you who are fixated on the cult politics of Stevie H.
1. Election 2011: No
2. And the winner will be…: Harper
3. Galvanizing issue for 2011: The War
4. Stephen Harper will…continue to divide us
5. The provinces will…achieve greater “autonomy” as the Harper Government continues to withdraw from any useful role in civic life.
6. Post-election, disaffection will abound.
7. Ignatieff will…continue to disappoint. A good man, i think, but with too wily an opponent for his rationality to succeed.
8. A coalition will…fail, as Harper capitalizes on the foolishness, disconnection and ignorance of the electorate
9. Scandal will be managed, and limited to issues that few cares about, like accountability and democracy.
10. …our federal politicians will try, and fail. Again.
2011: A year for cynics like me, unfortunately.
Happy New Year, WK. Keep at it.
1. Election 2011:if it were to happen, and it won’t, we would still have a Conservative minority with barely any change in the seat totals for the Cons, but more for the BQ at the expense of the Libs.
2. see 1.
3. There won’t be one: we would have seen it emerge since ’06 (along with the balls of opposition parties).
4. Continue to be PM but finally publish that history of hockey book he has been working on (that’s wishful thinking –he’s been to busy to write anything for 5 years, unlike Iggy who can somehow find the time to publish a book).
5. The provinces will … not go anywhere.
6. Post-election, popular apathy towards politics will abound.
7. Ignatieff will … not go anywhere.
8. A coalition will … continue to be the Cons propaganda machine (CRG) bogeyman.
9. Scandal will be found in all places but the Hill, but the Star and Spector will continue to pretend as if it were widespread in the private lives of others.
10. The general public will continue to hate … our federal politicians.
Election 2011 will happen on November 21st. Harper will claim to be calling it because the opposition is not cooperating. In actual fact he wants to capitalize on the momentum that has been brought about by the reduction of the McGuinty to a minority, largely because Hudak is able to win seats in the 905.
And the winner will be Thomas Mulcair. NDP stagnates. The Bloc picks up 5 Quebec seats. Liberals up 5 seats scattered around the country. Harper down 10. Gridlock remains. With the failure to break through after a middling Liberal performance Layton exits leaving the NDP in the middle of a leadership battle with Mulcair well out in front.
Galvanizing issue for 2010 will be pensions. Reform will be demanded. None will happen.
Stephen Harper will call an election. He will not allow himself to be defeated on the floor of the House of Commons.
The provinces will block any real pension reform.
Post-election there will be leadership conventions abound……. Liberal, NDP and BLOC! Yes in a stunning move Duceppe resigns to run for the PQ. Bernard Bigras becomes Bloc leader in winter 2012 (ok so I’m getting a bit ahead of myself).
Ignatieff will resign having lost a 3 point lead in the final week of the campaign.
A coalition will continue to be the Conservative boogyman.
A scandal will hit backbenchers from all parties after the release of the first Auditor General’s report on MP expenses.
The hard work and dedication of the vast majority of our MPs will be largely ignored by the media.
1. There will be no federal election in the fall of 2011, not with six provinces holding elections at that time. Spring is the only window for the feds.
2. Mulcair will lose his seat to the Conservatives or the Bloc.
3. Harper won’t call an election or trigger one. He will leave it to Ignatieff, and he will only trigger one if he can be sure the Bloc and NDP are on side for it, and an election does not augur well for those two; they’ll lose seats.
election 2011 will be one of the great ones – five leaders
all in their last fight except for the one that wins. Harper has to
win or leave. Iggy has to get the party back to government or
leave. Jack has to jump into second. Duceppe has to win enough and
then get a coalition and May just has to win a seat. Nothing
motivates politicians like their own skin being at risk. and the
winner will be Iggy. He will finish second, but will form a
coalition despite all his rhetoric. galvanizing issue for 2011 a
sense of diminished democracy under Harper. It will hurt him just
enough and help Iggy just enough to allow a coalition to happen.
Harper will be taken by his own party after refusing to step down
in face of coalition the provinces will ask for more money. come
on, it’s the provinces. post-election, constitutional experts on
coalitions will abound Iggy will be a decent PM A coalition will
work for the full year and maybe even a year beyond. scandal will
sink to new lows, as the media continues to push into private lives
our federal politicians will always disappoint us
one amendment to my comment above. in election 2011 Jack
has to finish second or get into government through a
coalition.
Fun thanks!
1. Election 2011: Will almost not happen as the present PM will toy with using the War Measures Act
2. And the winner will be?: The Montreal Canadiens!
3. Galvanizing issue for 2011: Canadian Housing bubble to pop
4. Stephen Harper will? Not answer who funded his leadership campaign NOR deny that he eats Babies (he has yet to answer either question)
5. The provinces will? Continue to be hard done by
6. Post-election, [Narcolepsy] will abound.
7. Ignatieff will? write a book on the history of hockey
8. A coalition will? fall apart & the LibDems will loss almost all their seats, oh did you mean This fair Dominion? Well, Sid Ryan will claim to be the minister of Labour in waiting & will address an Oshawa crowd with a clenched fist whilst shouting COMRADES!
9. Scandal [An MP, say the one from Halton, or some place in Manitoba will have bought christmas lights on her office budget, blamed her staff, fired her staff, found a true calling, & resigned. The present PM will appoint Ben Mullddon to run in her place ]
10. ?our federal politicians [will all get a lump of Coal, no, sorry a sock full of Tar Sand for Christmas 2011.].
Sure, what the heck, for shits and giggles…
1. Election 2011: Yes
2. And the winner will be?: Harper Minority…but a slightly larger minority. Will cause an increase in “Dump Harper” sentiment.
3. Galvanizing issue for 2011: Economy. Interest rates will start to rise, a bad thing for a country with such high personal debt levels. Dollar will remain close to parity which will harm manufacturing/exports. Oil prices will rise and oil/gas sect wil continue to be engine of Cdn economy.
4. Stephen Harper will?do nothing different.
5. The provinces will?Force the issue of federal health funding.
6. Post-election, public resignation will abound. People may start to realize we’re less a unified country and more a collection of regions
7. Ignatieff will?resign.
8. A coalition will?be political death for any party that cooperates with separatists
9. Scandal will only be defined as such by the people inside the PPC bubble. The rest of us will have bigger problems on our hands.
10. ?our federal politicians will continue to further polarize politics in Canada for the simple reason that, politically, it works.
1. Election 2011: Yes, spring
2. And the winner will be?: Reduced Con Minority
3. Galvanizing issue for 2011: Health Care
4. Stephen Harper will?Resign by Xmas 2011
5. The provinces will?seek more funding for Health Care
6. Post-election, [Coalition Talk will abound.
7. Ignatieff will?not resign if he loses
8. A coalition will?happen if Conservatives have less than 120 seats
9. Scandal – ATI blocking by government
10. ?our federal politicians will be preparing for another election at end of 2011.
I predict some predictions will come true while other predictions will not.
1. Election 2011. Yes this Spring.
2.And the winner will be? A Con majority.
3. Galvanizing issue for 2011? Health Care.
4. Stephen Harper will? Get all his legislation through the Senate.
5. The provinces will? Demand more Health Care funding from Ottawa.
6. Post-election? Ignatieff will resign after the next election?
7. Ignatieff will? See question 6.
8. A coalition will happen? Not going to happen.
9. Scandal? I am sure CBC will come up with something to to try and embarrass the Harper Gov.
10. Quebec Separatism on the rise with another vote late this year or early 2012.
1. . Election 2011. Yes this Spring.
2.And the winner will be? The tail end of the Harper regime
3. Galvanizing issue for 2011? Health Care, mass marches on the hill calling for the resignation of the cult Pm.
4. Stephen Harper will? Do frig all just as he has in the past 4+ years,.
5. The provinces will? Demand more Health Care funding from Ottawa.
6. Post-election Ignatieff will be the next prime minister and Canadians will respect him for his decency and education and his willingness to listen to them
7. Ignatieff will? Bring back the respect of Canada across the world and reduce the momentous deficit created by the lack of adequacies of the Harper Cons Crappers ignorance on how to govern a country and lack of control with their spending habits that got this country in the recession we are now facing.
8. A coalition will happen? If it does, it will be a Harper coalition which will see his own defeat.
9. Scandal? I am sure the Harper clan will do it to themselves with all the boners they try and do. You lie often enough, it is recorded on papers and videos which can and should be used against this dumbed down Party of Crappers we as a country let in by strong Parrot idol lovers of the cult parties and thosewho were to lazy and just sat on their hands and didn?t bother to go to the polls. A New Year with very different results. We do learn by our mistakes.
10. Alberta threthened Separation on the rise with the failing Harper Conts bots late this year or early 2012.
1. Election 2011: Won’t happen. No party will be itching for one in the spring, and there’s too many provincial things in the fall.
Many of the rest of these questions assume an election. So, while I don’t think there will be one, if there were, it would be early fall, and:
2. And the winner will be?: The current Opposition. Reduced Conservative minority, stronger showing for the BQ in Quebec; Liberals pick up a few seats out west (mainly in Calgary and Winnipeg, not in the rural bits); NDP pick up a few more in city centres. The post-election landscape doesn’t look much different, but losing any seats in his fourth election will spell trouble for Harper. (I don’t think he’d get kicked out, as the party has nobody to replace him with, but he may just call it a day.)
3. Galvanizing issue for 2011: Failed economic recovery. Maybe it’s a housing bubble pop, maybe it’s the end of stimulus and forced austerity, maybe it’s just that the US sinks again (which it’s already starting to–look at the debt and housing numbers down there). Suddenly the Conservatives don’t look like the competent fiscal managers they wish they were, and while the Liberals look no better, people like to punish whoever’s in power. (See also: last year’s municipal and provincial elections.)
4. Stephen Harper will? if there is a 2011 election and he loses ground, call it a day. Otherwise, enjoy being Prime Minister. Create another 900-page omnibus budget that contains thousands of little c/Conservative changes, and most likely get it through a fractured opposition.
5. The provinces will? those having elections: a strong backlash voter culture. I suspect McGuinty gets another term, maybe in a minority situation, but Hudak is already imploding and people still don’t trust Ontario NDP. (And to be fair, McGuinty hasn’t done a bad job.) I expect the other provincial elections to be far more interesting.
6. Post-election, dismay/disdain for federal politics will abound.
7. Ignatieff will? if there’s a 2011 election and Harper goes off into the sunset, I suspect Ignatieff does, too. I don’t think this whole leadership thing is working out how he’d hoped or imagined. And much like in BC, if one leader goes I think the other will, too, letting both major parties try to recalibrate a bit.
8. A coalition will? only show up if the Liberals and NDP gain enough seats to be a majority together. I think the Conservative rhetoric has poisoned the well for the Bloc, so I don’t think any party will make an official deal with them anytime soon.
9. Scandal — some trifling and unimportant personal detail that is none of our business will somehow become the media darling and get blown out of all proportion. (The safest prediction in this set.)
10. ?our federal politicians will continue to disappoint.
1. Election 2011: In the fall, unless the polls start showing 40% CPC support, in which case Harper will load the budget with poison pills to ensure an election occurs.
2. And the winner will be?: Probably the CPC in any scenario, but quite possibly with a reduced minority.
3. Galvanizing issue for 2011: Rather than saying the economy, I’m going out on a limb and saying fed/prov relations. There could be some major shifts possible during provincial elections (Manitoba and Ontario in particular), and there are a few issues that may become wedges. A national securities regulator, the Canadian Wheat Board, and the entitlement culture in Quebec are just a few examples.
4. Stephen Harper will? be re-elected as PM, which will be his last term.
5. The provinces will? continue to blame everything on the federal government, keep begging for more handouts, and not take much responsibility themselves.
6. Post-election, discussion of proportional representation and re-drawing of electoral boundaries will abound.
7. Ignatieff will? end his leadership of the Liberals, but continue to be an MP, and possibly write a book.
8. A coalition will? not happen, because the Liberals will come to their senses and realize they will lose seats to the NDP, rather than gaining seats overall. Sorry, WK!
9. Scandal will continue to occupy far too much media, eclipsing truly important issues as it always does.
10. Our federal politicians will continue to work short hours, alienate the population, and be tone-deaf to the actual interests of Canadians.
I will leave a New Years Eve party in downtown Calgary at 3 AM; I will try to call a taxi but all the dispatchers’ lines are busy; I will walk home home in the sub-zero cold cursing the Taxi Commission and all the empty cabs driving by ignoring me; I will dearly wish I was in NYC where one can stand on the curb and wave a taxi up toot sweet; I will blame PM Harper and the Reformatories for all.
Oh, and Happy New Year all.
Election 2011 –
– The winner will be – Hudak with a very small minority and then the Liberals will unite with the NDP to form a small majority much like what happened in 1985 with Peterson and Rae defeating the Frank Miller Conservatives that had 52 seats compared to the Liberals with 48 and Rae’s NDP with the rest.
– Issue of 2011 – the role of immigrants – should it be funded multiculturalism as in the past or a melting pot society that Kenney likes for all.
– Stephen Harper will remain PM
– The province will still be ruled by a white man (lol) – sorry NDP’s Andrea
– Post election, there will be a new leader of the Liberal Party of Canada – no second chance for Iggy by Grits – the son of Romeo Leblanc will be a strong contender.
– Iggy will find work at the U of T at Munk Center
– A coalition will be built in Ontario
– Scandal will hit Toronto City Hall but it will just be another day in the life of Rob Ford
– Our federal politicians do not reflect the real Canada but they are not too bad.
Happy Holidays!
Huh?
Be careful not to use any accent-letters. Warren doesn’t like them. Actually, the computer program doesn’t like them and cuts every word starting with the E accent aigu.
1. Election 2011: nope, 2012
2. And the winner will be?: n/a
3. Galvanizing issue for 2011: quebec hockey arena, morphing into publicly funded sport facilities, morphing into cbc/artsy/pinko bashing.
4. Stephen Harper will?become even more obsessed with maintaining power, less coherent as a ‘conservative’/ policy-wise.
5. The provinces will?scream bloody murder that the feds are being unfair about pretty much everything.
6. Post-election, [THE COALITION] will abound.
7. Ignatieff will?keep whiffing on the puck everytime steve sets him up beautifully.
8. A coalition will?emerge in legitimacy after another harper minority term.
9. Scandal – one or more of steve’s cabinet get antsy about steve’s imminent departure, and start berniering/martining in earnest.
10. ?our federal politicians do their best and almost succeed in doing barely enough.
1. Election 2011: Yes
2. And the winner will be?: Harper
3. Galvanizing issue for 2011: Jobs and healthcare
4. Stephen Harper will? lose very few seats
5. The provinces will? cry over healthcare
6. Post-election, [FILL IN] will abound. coalition talk
7. Ignatieff will? pushed aside and will take Bob down with him
8. A coalition will? will be realty
9. Scandal [FILL IN] none major
10. ?our federal politicians [FILL IN]. will have more of them (increasing number of seats from 308 to 335)
vast.liberal.conspiracy
I predict that Warren Kinsella will sound more and more like a pundit and less and less like an Official Liberal Pundit ™ throughout 2011.
What’s a pundit sound like?
And, what’s a pundit taste like?
I heard pundit tastes a lot like chicken or alligator, not sure which.
Isn’t “poon-deet” some kind of South-Asian/Indian dish? Yum, yum! It could be a type of curry chicken. I’m not so sure about alligator.
A pundit sounds like “Huh?” and tastes like… well, pretty much tastes like what you would expect Feckin Irish Whiskey to taste like.
Happy New Year, everybody!
this is fun!
1. No Federal Election in 2011. Twenty or so Liberals will be absent from the House of Commons during Budget vote. General Election will be called on schedule in October 2012.
2. Winners in 2011 will be: Tim Hudak (Ontario PCs), Hugh McFayden (Manitoba PCs) and Brad Wall (re-elected Sask Party). Ontario Liberals will be reduced to third party status. PCs will be re-elected in Newfoundland and Labrador. Allen Cormier (CPC) will surprise everyone and win byelection in Matane, surprising Duceppe once again.
3. Galvanizing issues of 2011 will be high taxes and the price of energy. Runaway federal spending will be newsworthy (“stop the gravy train”).
4. Stephen Harper will continue governing Canada, will have a successful visit with President Obama and will conclude a Free Trade Agreement with EU.
5. The provinces will: BC voters will reject HST in referendum and then seek to annul fed-prov implementation agreement. Ottawa will take back BC’s transition money and turn much of it over to Quebec in accordance with new Ottawa-Quebec sales tax harmonization formula.
6. Post election, demands for Dalton McGuinty’s resignation as Ontario Liberal leader will abound. He will resist this, and will not try to jump to Federal politics.
7. Ignatieff will realize he has no following or loyalty in the Liberal party, and will accept an offer by PM Harper to be Canada’s Permanent Representative (Ambassador) to UN in New York (like his father was).
8. A “coalition” will continue assist CPC fund-raising and to complicate any ideas of Liberal and NDP cooperation. To get rid of this monkey on their backs, both agree to not bring down Harper Government prematurely, but instead to let Harper call the election (hence GE not until fall 2012).
9. SCANDAL: There will be new revelations in Adscam/sponsorship scandal, possibly leading to new charges. A judicial inquiry will be called into Quebec construction industry, and there will be political scandals as a result.
10. Our federal politicians will push harder to reform the Senate, to try to find ways to democratize and therefore legitimize it. The Liberals will re-calibrate their QP strategy from there scatter-gun “faux-scandal-of-the-day” to a more coherent, planned effort to focus on economic issues that truly matter to the country.
Happy New Year everyone!
1. Election 2011: will be in the Spring
2. And the winner will be: No party will win a majority
3. Galvanizing issue for 2011:
4. Stephen Harper will be replaced by a new leader
5. The provinces will start to develop their own pension plans and demand rep by pop.
6. Post-election, calls for a coalition will abound.
7. Ignatieff will form a coalition
8. A coalition will be the result of the next election
9. Scandal will hit the conservatives and some will stick
10. Our federal politicians should be more appreciated for the jobe they do.
1. Election 2011: No
2. And the winner will be…:Not applicable
3. Galvanizing issue for 2011: US Government Debt Crisis and impact on Canada
4. Stephen Harper will…continue to govern
5. The provinces will…throw out incumbent premiers where elections occur
6. Post-election, [FILL IN] will abound.
7. Ignatieff will…continue to say and do things which do not connect with average Canadians
8. A coalition will…continue to be exploited by Harper
9. Scandal Rob Ford will eat one of the remaining left wing Toronto Councelors.
10. …our federal politicians will continue to not inspire us.
Harper will declare himself President for life and abolish elections.
1. Election 2011: Oh yeah, Oh yeah! The sooner, the better. Harper will pull the parliamentary plug before he gets defeated in a confidence vote in the H of C.
2. And the winner will be…: Harper (Boo-oo-oo!). Hopefully a minority.
3. Galvanizing issue for 2011: Home economics. I don’t mean the cooking kind.
4. Stephen Harper will… win, but will resign in 2013. He’ll stay too long.
5. The provinces will… Ontario will go Conservative Tim Hudak if he runs a moderate campaign even though he is not one himself.
6. Post-election, [new leaders] will abound.
7. Ignatieff will… write for the Toronto Sun or join some international peace agency or both.
8. A coalition will… not happen.
9. Scandal [G20 waste and class-action court proceedings]
10. …our federal politicians [all need to be replaced].
Gord… you crazy guy, you… ease up on the medical marijuana. These psychedelic fantasies are way, way out there.
1. Election 2011: Yes, before the Ontario provincial election (Mr. Harper wants fresh legs to knock on doors and doesn’t want to be passed over because a Conservative government was elected in Ontario, next fall) and before Ford can irritate his base. Two seat Harper Conservative majority. Watch for the Green Party to enter Parliament — one or maybe two seats (and not Ms. May) with the seat being from Toronto spurned by Mayor Ford’s election. But with the governing Conservatives winning a bit of breathing room, the lack of a convincing majority will free up some psychological energy in the party for a leadership challenge to the PM.
2. And the winner will be…: In order: the GG, for now, having been spared the scrutiny that goes along with dealing with a post-election question of confidence in the House, Dominic LeBlanc, and Stephan Dion, who while having won fewer seats in the House as Liberal party leader will be able to make the claim that he was more effective at keeping Mr. Harper at bay.
3. Galvanizing issue for 2011: CPP first, national sovereignty distant second, or war in Afghanistan, depending on success of CD (see #4).
4. Stephen Harper will… enjoy himself, first by recording a CD with other Conservative MPs, to be sold in support of a noble cause involving our troops in Afghanistan. If you support the troops, you must have one. Also, watch for the Harper-Baird ring tone.
5. The provinces will… start advanced discussions towards reconfederation with its favorite neighbours. To the Premiers: Call it restructuring and you’ll be fine.
6. Post-election, leadership conventions will abound.
7. Ignatieff will… accept a high-profile role at the UN.
8. A coalition will… not be an option.
9. Scandal: someone’s caught skimming money from the CD sales for local riding campaigns.
10. …our federal politicians get through 2011 prorogation-free.
What is important to me is when someone tries to tell us the truth.
The Prov. of Alberta took in more money last year from gambling and booze than it did from the TAR sands. But Craigs list can’t advertise for dem dam hores.
Warning; Tazmanian Devil Elizabeth May takes on wannabe prince of one liners, Ezra Levant.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6u8eozzlq6M
Sound is poor, so turn up the volume to max if you want to listen.
1. Election 2011: will be suspenseful
2. And the winner will be…: none of the above
3. Galvanizing issue for 2011: charisma deficits
4. Stephen Harper will… go on to new things
5. The provinces will… continue to obsess about their own issues, at the expense of collective concerns
6. Post-election, apathy will continue to abound.
7. Ignatieff will… be disappointed
8. A coalition will… not occur in the expected way
9. Scandal will attract too much attention
10. …our federal politicians need to take a step back, and get some perspective…
1. Election 2011: is a fantasy drummed up by journalists and conspiracy theorists because there is bloody little to report on that front.
2. And the winner will be…..: moot point because there will be no election this year.
3. Galvanizing issue for 2011: again moot.
4. Steven Harper will…..: stay on as PM the longer he’s PM.
5 The provinces will…….: be too busy getting their own houses in order on the home front.
6. Post-election apathy: that would be the post-election apathy of the last federal election and sour grapes still being felt by the LPOC. Not so much the other parties.
7. Ignatieff will….continue to trip on his tongue and give Canadians every reason to keep Harper in power.
8. A coalition will….never happen…..very large egos are the reason why, AND because the NDP are in a much better position these days than the LPOC. It would be a step down for the NDP.
9. Scandal will continue to take up useless space in the media, on some blogs that are less intelligent than this one, but never be enough to cause the PM a loss of sleep.
10. Our federal politicians need to stop playing for the cameras in the legislatures, get off their blackberries and laptops when the whole world can see them and make Question Period worth watching again.
Introduction of comprehensive Senate reform legislation is highly unlikely regardless whether the CPC enjoys majority status or not.
Even if it passed, you can be sure Quebec would challenge it and the courts probably would find it unconstitutional. The composition of the Senate, and much else relating to it, is set out in the Constitution Act. As we have seen, the Constitution is almost not amendable.
Any serious reform of the Senate must address the allocation of seats, a matter settled long ago when Canada had but four provinces. The allocation greatly favoured Quebec and Ontario, a situation that the smaller provinces will surely try to change. Quebec will not accept anything less than what they have now regardless of a constitutionally valid amendment. No government is going to fly in the face of that prospect.
So, the P.M. will content himself with making appointments to the Senate from those chosen in provincial elections or by the legislatures. Those recently appointed by Mr. Harper have agreed to make way for candidates elected in the provinces. That method does not breach the Constitution, but is about as far as the P.M. can go with it.
1. Election 2011: Wednesday, April 20, 2011
2. And the winner will be?: Liberals 9 seat majority
3. Galvanizing issue for 2011: The economy
4. Stephen Harper will? retire to write the definitive analysis of Right Wing Politics in the USA
5. The provinces will?agree to begin discussions on ending inter-provincial trade barriers
6. Post-election, speculation will abound.
7. Ignatieff will? be the Prime Minister
8. A coalition will? not be necessary
9. Scandal will be exposed in the BQ party
10. ?our federal politicians will be a different mix of people.
brought to you by…… my crystal pendulum.
1. Election 2011: May 23rd. Record low voter turnout.
2. And the winner will be…: Harper, barely. Seat numbers within 10% of the current balance, for all parties.
3. Galvanizing issue for 2011: None.
4. Stephen Harper will… continue to rant about coalitions, and what a good job he is doing, despite all evidence to the contrary.
5. The provinces will… be ignored by the federal government.
6. Post-election, apathy will abound.
7. Ignatieff will… resign. A slate of no-name candidates will be rustled up to replace him.
8. A coalition will… be a huge mistake, leading to a Conservative majority if it is attempted.
9. Scandal will somehow continue to avoid damaging the Conservatives. The mind boggles.
10. …our federal politicians will continue to believe Canadians are morons. Canadians will continue to try to prove them right.