Commentaries

9 Items

The Senate was independent long before Trudeau’s partisan changes came along

by Senator David Tkachuk

Prevailing opinion is that, through the “new” and “revolutionary” Senate appointment process, the Senate will finally be able to function “as it was intended.” There is nothing new about this type of appointment process. In 2012, for instance, then-prime minister Stephen Harper established an advisory committee for vice-regal appointments. Nor is it revolutionary. It is […]

Green path the wrong one

by Senator Betty Unger

Prime Minister Trudeau’s pot legalization plan bad for the country’s young people Edmonton Sun | January 11, 2017 Sen. Betty Unger, Alberta Senator Last summer the Trudeau government established a task force to study marijuana legalization and regulation. Their mandate was to consult with Canadians about developing a framework for legal access to marijuana (cannabis). […]

Alberta Senator wants to see real change

by Senator Betty Unger

Published: 2017-01-03 Moncton Times & Transcript It was refreshing to read your December 17 editorial, “Reform needed in Red Chamber”. Rarely does one hear about the need for a Triple-E Senate reform these days. Attention has shifted to the elusive topic of Senate “modernization” while awareness of the need for true Senate reform has all but been lost. As a Senator […]

Non-affiliated not equal to more effective: My response to Senator Black’s decision to leave Conservative caucus

by Senator Betty Unger

Alberta Senator Doug Black’s recent announcement that he has left the Conservative caucus to sit as a non-affiliated Senator is both disappointing and misleading. It implies that Senators who remain members of a political caucus are less effective Senators. Nothing could be further from the truth. Being a member of the Conservative caucus provides me […]

Proposed euthanasia law dodges the difficult questions

by Senator Betty Unger

April 18, 2016 It’s beginning to look like a pattern: Dodge the difficult questions and defer them to the future. The Trudeau government has done it again with its euthanasia legislation. Deceptively named, “Medical assistance in dying” the legislation initially pulls back from the radical suggestions made by the Joint Committee on Physician Assisted Suicide, […]

Palliative care must be the priority, not physician-assisted dying

by Senator Betty Unger

“Palliative care should be the priority, not physician-assisted dying. There is something terribly wrong when a government does more to guarantee that the living can die, than to ensure that the dying can live.” Last year, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that the Criminal Code sections prohibiting physician-assisted suicide violate our Charter rights. After […]

Canadians should have a say in electoral reform

by Senator Betty Unger

Over ten years ago the Law Commission of Canada released a 209-page report recommending changes to our electoral system. While the Liberal government took no action at the time, numerous provinces launched their own reviews to examine the merits of electoral reform. Without exception, the proposals put forward by each province failed to be implemented. […]