Gloria

Very true, and for very obvious reasons, including that neoconservatism would see women formally subjected by men. Care to explain this? Sounds like bigotry to me ... or Alliance rhetoric ... same thing really. Since there's no right wing vote split (and if you don't believe me, go ask the Canada Election Study people), this new conservative party isn't going to make the inroads it needs to in Ontario, and will likely lose support in Atlantic Canada. The NDP might make a break-through if they're careful not to be too Jack-and-Toronto focussed. I predict the Liberals will win over 200 seats unless this mess in BC taints the federal party in the province.

Nunavut operates under a non-partisan concensus-style government where the premier is selected by, and from, those elected to their Legislature. I have serious doubts whether that style of governance would be effective on a larger scale or in a different environment. I think Canadians are smart enough to see through Martin's rehortic (at least I hope so, anyway), and if they aren't, I'd be surprised if enough Canadians cared about parliamentary committee structure to pay attention. Canada has seen power centralised in the PMO and influence removed from the individual MP. However, if has not always been like this, and it won't always be like this either. Does the political will exist in the Martin government to make real democratic changes? Of course not: all Martin has ever wanted was power; why would he change the system that got his that? It's going to take a government with the political will (and a campaign promise) to make changes in the democratic direction. We're not going to see that if we keep electing the Liberals.

To add something else to this debate ... The Supreme Court of Canada ruled in an extradition decision (the summary of which you can probably find elsewhere on this very site) that it is unconstitutional for Canada to extradite prisoners/criminals to jurisdictions with the deathe penalty UNLESS they ensure that the death penalty will not be sought. They then went a step further and stated that captial punishment would violate the constitution in Canada period, closing the door on bringing it back in Canada. Say what you want about judicial activism (or if this decision even constitutes that) but I think the Court's intervention on this issue demonstrates how our elected officials are too cowardly to debate and surmount issues like capital punishment. I think the Court made the right decision and I would fight tooth and nail against the reinstatement of the death penalty in Canada, but one has to wonder why that direction had to come from the bench rather than from an elected house.