Pressure for Climate Change Resolution

At the Commonwealth summit in Uganda, an issue of extreme importance is that of climate change. This is an issue where Canada and Prime Minister Stephen Harper are "facing heavy political pressure to agree to binding targets for greenhouse gas emissions" (As reported in the CBC News article Harper alone on climate change at Commonwealth summit).

According to this article, "other than Australia, whose leader is not at the summit, Canada is the only member of the 53-nation grouping that has not fallen in line with the wording in a climate change resolution calling for binding targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that cause global warming."

Many hope that Canada will shift their opinion and finally agree to the implementation of the Kyoto Protocol. However, Canada may have to be influenced by other nations in order to agree to it. One person who could help to influence this change is Gordon Brown, the Prime Minister of Britain: "Diplomats have reportedly suggested Brown will attempt to persuade Harper to sign on to the agreement."

The topic of climate change has been of growing importance for a long time and it imperative that countries such as Canada agree to it. Even though it is believed that Canada is not a top producer of greenhouse emissions, their agreement would still be beneficial to the cost. It could also influence other nations who are not currently involved in the Kyoto Protocol to change there mind.

The news report of this can be viewed here.



This is a video for the song "Ready to Fall" from the band Rise Against. It deals with the problem of climate change and especially the effects of the actions of humans on the deterioration of the environment and the quality of life for animals.

Combating Identity Theft

The federal government of Canada took a huge step forward in the fight against identity theft by introducing new legislation that would make it "it illegal to collect personal documents belonging to others in order to commit fraud" (As reported by CanWest in the article Government bill attacks identity theft).

This bill states that it will "become a crime in Canada to obtain, possess or traffic another person's passport, credit cards, drivers licences or other identity documents for the purpose of committing fraud."

This is a benefit to the officials who investigate cases of fraud and identity theft because they will be able to "take action against identity thieves in the process of collecting or hoarding personal information belonging to others, before fraud has been committed." Prior to legislation like this, these officials were only able to act when act of fraud or identity theft was actually being committed; they could not take pre-emptive measures.

This new legislation will also lead to harsher punishment for those convicted of identity theft. Along with the possibility of jail time, "identity thieves will face the possibility of reimbursing each and every one of their victims for the costs they faced as a result of the fraud."

It is about time a bill combating identity theft came into existence. The current federal conservative government should be commended for introducing legislation that has been long needed.

With the constant technological advances of our society, some forms of identity theft may become easier to track and prevent. However, these technological advances can lead to more sophisticated forms of identity theft that are nearly impossible to combat. A bill of this magnitude will finally punish those who commit identity theft to the extend they so desperately deserve.

Necessity for Senate Reform?

The question of Senate Reform has been a controversial issue for a long time and is still being debated today. Recently, NDP leader Jack Layton voiced his desire for a referendum regarding the abolition of the Senate (as reported in the CBC news article NDP wants referendum on Senate).

This article states that Jack Layton and the NDP have "called for a referendum so Canadians can vote on whether the Senate should be abolished." While Layton believes that the Senate should be abolished, "the NDP still wants Canadians to have a say on its future."

While the topic of Senate reform has been brought up on multiple occasions, the topic of abolishing the Senate is not as common. While the Senate may lack authority, due to it not being an elected body, and it may not receive much respect, the Senate still has a role to play.

Instead of abolishing the Senate completely, I believe that there would be more benefit to having some form of Senate reform. The main areas that need to be considered in a Senate reform are the appointment process for new Senators; the guidelines surrounding the attendance of Senators; the proper use of the Senate's power; and the distribution of seats among the provinces.

While I do believe it is commendable for Layton to call for a change to the current Senate, I believe he goes to far in asking for it to be abolished. If the proper steps are taken in order to reform the Senate, I believe it could become a respectable body of government and once again fill the role it was initially meant to, being a body of "sober-second-thought."