Canada Kicks Ass
Canadian Political Reform

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Rev_Blair @ Wed Jun 18, 2003 6:52 pm

I said I'd put this up, so here it is.

We do need some reforms to our political system in Canada, most people agree with that, but the recommendation that we follow the American system is ludicrous...they need reforms at least as badly as we do.
Here are some ideas I've heard and agree with though. Some I've refined a bit.

The Senate:

We need to come up with a better way to choose senators. The idea I like best is having each provincial and territorial government put up a short list of suitable applicants, say five candidates for each available post, and then let Parliament decide between them. That would solve a lot of political patronage concerns.

It would also keep the Senate as diverse as possible, since provincial governments tend to vary in their political leanings quite a bit. To further that diversity I'd limit each senator to ten years service and make them be re-chosen every 5 years...a senate position would not be a guarantee of a job for the rest of your career. I'd also like to see them installed on a rotating basis to keep the new views flowing in and keep any one political view from dominating.

I would increase Senate powers, but not to the point where they could negate decisions made in Parliament. I think if they could a reject a bill twice, offering recommendations for change (which must be debated in the House of Commons when they get the bill back) each time, then the third time must accept the amended version of the bill or let the provincial and territorial leaders vote on it, then the Senate could actually accomplish something. They should also be allowed (as a body) to introduce bills into the H of C.

Term Limits:

Ten years for a Prime Minister, fifteen years for a party leader with an additional five years added on if that party leader was elected PM during their final five years as leader. Twenty years in parliament.

I was actually pretty undecided about this until Jean announced his retirement and grew some balls. I certainly haven't agreed with everything he's done in that time, but he is acting like a leader instead of a poll-watching, wishy-washy miscreant. Think what he could have accomplished if he knew he'd be done five years ago.

Official Party Status:

Why the hell can't somebody run as an independent or start a party that promises to replace all office staff on the hill with huge lizards and get the same benefits that the major parties get? Hell, half the people in parliament act like huge lizards, so why do they get benefits others don't?

Campaign Reform

Oh man, do we need this. Our politicians are supposed to be there to represent us. Not business, not unions, not their rich buddies down at the country club, nor the Coalition to Make Canada an Official American Protectorate...us.

If any business, union or special interest group is caught trying to influence a politician through contributions, the head of that organisation should be nailed to the big tree in my backyard and rabid coyotes set loose on their genitals. If the politician takes the contribution they should be nailed up right beside the contributor. Just to make things absolutely clear, by contribution I also mean the promises of campaign manpower often made by unions and other special interest groups. Money is not the only thing used to mess with our rights.

I'd also impose strict (non-rev might call them draconian :wink: ) spending limits and give those who lack funds government money to match the coffers of the rich candidates. I know that sounds expensive, and it is tax-payers' money, but ideas don't come cheap. Besides, between my spending limits and my next paragraph, it wouldn't cost that much.

I want to see truly equal time given to all candidates in the media. If you interview one candidate, you interview all of them. If you carry an ad for one candidate, you carry an ad for the rest at half price. If you run a column condoning one point of view, then you have it re-butted on the same op-ed page.

The media has been endorsing candidates since before there was democracy. The media is controlled largely by advertisers. Advertisers are basically a special interest group.


So those are the ideas I like so far. Rip 'em apart but don't forget to add your own ideas.

   



polemarch1 @ Sat Jun 21, 2003 4:36 pm

OH MY GOD!!! I'm actually gonna have to admit I agree with Blair on this one! 8O 8O 8O :D

Just wanna add one thing

Citizenship

Instead of atomatically becoming a citizen just because your parents where how about making it something you have to earn? It could work like this... after you graduate from high school you are given a choice, you can go on with your life and be classified as a RESIDENT OF CANADA, or you could agree to give at least a year's service to your country to become a CITIZEN OF CANADA. This service can be miltary or it can be some sort of public works program (ie. digging ditches, fixing roads, building stuff ect.). If you choose public works you must do this work outside of your home province or territory. For your years service you would be housed, fed and clothed by the government. Afterwords you would be classified as a CITIZEN which would intitle you to vote and run for office. Also if you had not yet completed post-secondary then universities and colleages would have to keep a certain number of openings avalable for CITIZENS. In addition to public works and military service an alternative means of gaining citizenshp would be offered for those with mental or physichal disabilities. The only difference between citizens and residents would be that citizens have choosen to earn the right to participate in government where as residents have not.

What do you think?

   



RoyalHighlander @ Sat Jun 21, 2003 4:49 pm

polemarch1 polemarch1:
OH MY GOD!!! I'm actually gonna have to admit I agree with Blair on this one! 8O 8O 8O :D

Just wanna add one thing

Citizenship

Instead of atomatically becoming a citizen just because your parents where how about making it something you have to earn? It could work like this... after you graduate from high school you are given a choice, you can go on with your life and be classified as a RESIDENT OF CANADA, or you could agree to give at least a year's service to your country to become a CITIZEN OF CANADA. This service can be miltary or it can be some sort of public works program (ie. digging ditches, fixing roads, building stuff ect.). If you choose public works you must do this work outside of your home province or territory. For your years service you would be housed, fed and clothed by the government. Afterwords you would be classified as a CITIZEN which would intitle you to vote and run for office. Also if you had not yet completed post-secondary then universities and colleages would have to keep a certain number of openings avalable for CITIZENS. In addition to public works and military service an alternative means of gaining citizenshp would be offered for those with mental or physichal disabilities. The only difference between citizens and residents would be that citizens have choosen to earn the right to participate in government where as residents have not.

What do you think?

Nope not a good idea at all, then we would go back to the class system of Rich , middle class and poor... Work to be a citizen of the country you wrere born in???. I like it the way it is now. If when you grow up you dont like it here, then emigrate to where ever makes you happy..

   



Rev_Blair @ Sat Jun 21, 2003 7:03 pm

RH went and stole my answer. If anything, I'd make it easier to become a Canadian citizen, make it easier for people to come here and gain full status as Canadians.

Besides forcing people to become Canadians by digging ditches is going to put all the existing ditch diggers out of work.

   



RoyalHighlander @ Sat Jun 21, 2003 10:28 pm

Rev_Blair Rev_Blair:
RH went and stole my answer. .

Great minds think alike

   



RoyalHighlander @ Sun Jun 22, 2003 8:35 am

How about the MOOSE PARTY..Image

   



nonrev @ Sun Jun 22, 2003 1:48 pm

Considering the "success" we have had in my 51 years, I think we'd be better off by placing our politicians in a competition.

I suggest we see who can best pat their head and rub their tummies, while keeping perfect time to "The Girl From Ipaneema", and reciting the colour spectrum in the correct order.

If nothing else, this would prove they have abilities beyond what we've seen so far.


8)

   



electricbuford @ Sun Jun 22, 2003 2:25 pm

Canada's greatness is due to it's people and the land - regardless of the politicians.

   



BadAssBookie @ Mon Jun 23, 2003 10:43 am

Public servie like that would be a disaster for the economy. Besides, we don't need to follow the Chinese model for cheap labour.

   



Rev_Blair @ Mon Jun 23, 2003 6:11 pm

We shouldn't follow the Chinese model or the American model or the English model or anybody else's model for anything. What we should be doing is coming up with a Canadian model that other people want to follow. That may mean borrowing ideas from other places and adapting to the Canadian situation, but it also means sitting down and figuring shit out and not being afraid to try things even if they fail. We lost that someplace along the line.

   



fatbasturd @ Mon Jun 23, 2003 6:48 pm

electricbuford electricbuford:
Canada's greatness is due to it's people and the land - regardless of the politicians.


That my freind is the the plain and simple truth and better then I have heard it stated in quite some time ...Thank you for that post...pasit03fat

   



RoyalHighlander @ Mon Jun 23, 2003 7:40 pm

fatbasturd fatbasturd:
electricbuford electricbuford:
Canada's greatness is due to it's people and the land - regardless of the politicians.


That my freind is the the plain and simple truth and better then I have heard it stated in quite some time ...Thank you for that post...pasit03fat

Pretty cool coming from an American too huh?

   



ABSOLUT_SS @ Sat Jun 28, 2003 3:59 pm

I remember saying the same thing on a smoky saturday night in 1988. I'm either waaaay ahead, or waaaay behind, never just right!

   



Madman @ Thu Jul 03, 2003 4:25 pm

i think rev's ideas are great, I would like to see more improvements on
how the welfare/social assistance is ran,
In BC now you can only claim welfare for 2 out of every 5 years, this is great,
but I think a system similar to germany should be used, ontop of the 2/5 idea, make them work for it, sweep back alleys/streets for 20-30 hours a week, the atitude of some of the homeless is getting sick in BC, My roomate came across a homeless person on the street begging, the wendy's across the street was hiring, asked him why dont you go work there, his reply was along the lines of"I dont want to do that", This just iritates me, the system is almost encourging perpetual freeloading.

I just think we need to design a system gets them off the street, why not 1 year welfare(lots of time to get a job), then if they are able, send them to boot camp, and if not train them in a trade, or something, heck I'd rather se my tax dollers get him a real job then let him freeload for years..

just my .02

   



Rev_Blair @ Thu Jul 03, 2003 5:09 pm

It's quite possible that the guy was making more begging than he could at Wendy's. The wages we pay don't make a lot of sense sometimes. I know a musician who makes more busking than he does playing bars. I've talked to a squeegee kid who was clearing $100 a day, 5 days a week. That's about $2,000 a month. How's she going to make that in a minimum wage job? That's in Winnipeg, where $2,000 a month goes a long way and is a decent, though not good, wage

I'm always pretty leery about work-fare schemes too...what happens to the people who are being paid to clean up now? If nobody is doing it now, why not? If the work isn't valuable and doesn't need to be done it is unlikely to give the work-fare people any more sense of value than they have now.

I think the best solution is education...not just high-school or literacy programs, but programs that teach how interact with people, how to dress, how to show up on time and so on. In other words how to work. A lot of people who have jobs could use a course like that too...

   



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