The Senate Scandal – What are the consequences?

The Humanist Cafe

 

 Wednesday, Nov. 6, 

 

7:00 to 8:30 pm

 

Topic: The Senate Scandal – What are the consequences?

 

Moderator – John Pope

 

This scandal is the biggest political issue this year. We’ve all seen the reports.  Our discussion will examine it’s history and consequences.  This issue is still unfolding, so we may have other related issues to discuss by Wednesday.

Some questions to ponder:

1. Do we have a serious governance problem in this country?

2. Will PM Harper survive the pressure?

3. Will the Conservative back benches revolt?

4. How does this scandal impact on our democracy?

5. How do we explain the other leadership scandals going on in Canada (think Ford, and Mayors in Quebec, etc.)?  We are generating international news.  Do we care what people in other countries think of our political system?

There are plenty of links on the web, so I’ve listed just 2 here which provide a good basis for our discussion:

An Overview: “Canada’s Senate scandal, a timeline – from clashes over primary residences to duffy’s documents”  National Post Oct 29:http://news.nationalpost.com/2013/10/29/canadas-senate-scandal-a-timeline-from-clashes-over-primary-residences-to-duffys-documents/

What the polls say: “Senate scandal puts Harper’s brand at risk, poll suggests”  CBC Nov. 1:http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/senate-scandal-puts-harper-s-brand-at-risk-poll-suggests-1.2304444

See you there!