errol mendes

Colby Cosh on how we might as well go ahead and hold the funeral if democracy is so easily buyable

Errol Mendes figures the vote subsidy is part of a delicate balance.

Canwest rounds up the reviews of Mr. Milliken’s ruling. Ned Franks and Errol Mendes columnize their thoughts.

According to Christopher White, creator of that Facebook group, he’s been invited to take part alongside professors Peter Russell and Errol Mendes in a Liberal roundtable next month about civic engagement and democracy.

The Canadian Press, Globe, Star, CBC and CTV report from today’s unofficial hearings of the Afghanistan committee. The Star’s Allan Woods wraps the day’s discussion thusly.

Richard Colvin indicates at least some of his reports were sent directly to the Foreign Affairs Minister’s office, while internal e-mails show Foreign Affairs was worried that making too big a deal of a change to the detainee transfer agreement in early 2007 might compel some to ask why it took so long. The Star pinpoints the arrival of Colvin’s memos to Peter MacKay’s office in spring 2006. The Globe profiles David Mulroney. The Professional Association of Foreign Service Officers issues a statement on the public treatment of Richard Colvin. And op-eds from Errol Mendes, Wesley Wark, James Ron, Lewis MacKenzie and Vic Toews.

With another round of floor-crosser rumour-mongering behind us, our Katie Engelhart considers what the Larry O’Brien trial means for the future of political favours.

“Manipulation of public opinion by a well oiled and resourced propaganda machine has no place in the profound and critical constitutional decision making of the Governor General. It is simply unstatesman like to exploit the public’s misconceptions about parliamentary democracy.”

Questioning the partisan motives of a citizen who criticizes the government. Big no-no. Don’t even think about it, or you will find your eye on the Sparrow when the going gets narrow.

The idea that the Governor General would be within her rights to refuse Harper’s request for dissolution apparently has other adherents besides crankish magazine columnists. Indeed, constitutional scholar Errol Mendes, professor of law at the University of Ottawa and editor of the National Journal of Constitutional Law, argues Harper’s demand for a snap election may well be illegal:

Flipping y’all back to Colleague Wells, who put his Google-fu up against Peter Van Loan’s communications director, and – well, you can decide for yourselves who came out ahead.