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| Photo: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Fred Chartrand |
RON MACLEAN
Don, I don't think we need flowery introductions, what's going in in The Supreme Court?
DON CHERRY
It's just so...I don't know...this is beyond the playoffs....I've never seen...
RON MACLEAN
I've never seen you speechless.
DON CHERRY
Gimme a second. You keep talking about my command of English.
RON MACLEAN
For sure. It has an impressive robfordian quality to it.
DON CHERRY
Do. Not. Go.....
RON MACLEAN
So bring us up to speed on demolishing the Senate.
DON CHERRY
Now we're talking. As if we didn't have enough excitement on Parliament Hill, the government is in the Supreme Court getting an opinion on whether King Steve can disband the Senate on his own say-so and turn the whole thing into the new PMO. Naturally, most proceedings would be conducted from the dais.
RON MACLEAN
What would they use the rest of the space for?
DON CHERRY
Well, command centres for CSEC, CSIS, DND, RCMP, Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers....it goes on and on. So, no problem.
RON MACLEAN
Does it matter what the Senators themselves think?
DON CHERRY
No, they have problems of their own. Craig Anderson out with a concussion...
RON MACLEAN
Lehner played well.
DON CHERRY
Absolutely. So the government is now yanking the chain of the Supreme Court, trying to get it to say the government on its own can abolish the Senate, which with the current government, interprets the Constitution to mean the House of Commons can abolish the Senate.
RON MACLEAN
Is that bad?
DON CHERRY
Of course! If a majority in the Commons starts exercising rights it doesn't have to alter independent institutions, it's game over for Parliamentary Democracy in Canada. Where does it stop? The government then starts looking at the Supreme Court Act, decides to reduce the number of justices to three and then makes each justice a political appointee, and there's no Senate to blow the whistle, and maybe no Governor General either.
RON MACLEAN
That's pretty extreme.
DON CHERRY
This is serious. Kids, the game of Parliamentary Democracy is beautiful, but it's been put together over a long time and you don't wanna mess with it; if it ain't broke don't fix it.
RON MACLEAN
So what are the chances of your worst nightmare coming true?
DON CHERRY
I'm an optimist, you know that. I think there's almost no chance Harper can pull this off. First of all, the hearing at the Supreme Court last week did not go well for the government, although I'm waiting for the transcripts.
RON MACLEAN
What transcripts?
DON CHERRY
Of the hearing.
RON MACLEAN
How do you get Supreme Court transcripts?
DON CHERRY
You ask for them. This is Canada. If that's not enough, the provinces are going to have something to say about this, and after that there's the Governor General who I think will not be keen on that sort of approach to governing Canada, and if all else fails there's the Queen.
RON MACLEAN
We'll be looking forward to even more developments next week on Senate Night in Canada.
DON CHERRY
Kids, the price of freedom is always keeping your head up.
RON MACLEAN
I see there's a by-election in Brandon Souris coming up.
DON CHERRY
We're in Wheat Kings territory, and it's not a slam dunk for the Conservatives.
RON MACLEAN
That's unheard-of
DON CHERRY
You heard it here .
