So now we know Stephen Harper idea of the balance of power is to give one Senate seat to the CBC and one to CTV.
I had been quietly hoping that just perhaps the Governor General had put some restrictions on the PM when she granted prorogation , i.e. a moratorium on appointments to the Senate, Supreme Court, etc. as during an election period. Alas, she did not apparently as today’s announcements attest. And so we have another example of just how far this PM cannot be trusted. The PM that brought in legislation to establish fixed election dates, promised never to appoint an unallocated Senator and promised a Conservative government would never run a deficit. Liar! Liar! Pants on Fire!
Not having studied the list of new Senators and their resumés, I am not prepared to comment on most of their qualifications for the house of sober second thought. Pamela Wallin served ably as Canada’s consul general in New York after her stint at the CBC and is probably as ready for the Senate as most appointees.
No one, on the other hand, knows more about what’s happening in Ottawa than Mike Duffy, as the CTV ads assure us nightly. Assuming he doesn't immediately go to sleep in his PEI Senatorial chair, he should enlighten and enliven debate. Certainly the CTV Ottawa crew earned this reward for its unflinching support of the CPC and PM over the past five years or so as it systematically laboured to destroy Paul Martin and Stéphane Dion and took a good run at the entire Liberal Party. On an objectivity scale of 1-10, CTV News scores about “2”. And so the producers can prepare a replacement for the Mike Duffy Live program when Parliament resumes in January (assuming the PM keeps that promise). Personally, I would have preferred Craig Oliver get the golden ring, but the deed is done.
And how Peter Mansbridge must be burning to have to report that Pam is in the upper house. Lloyd Robertson got his OC years ago (and wears it every night). Now his once co-anchor gets the second best gig on The Hill. He must feel things are going downhill as fast as Nancy Greene.
