The second major shift in the 41st Parliament, first session, has been the rise of accountability – more broadly, the democratic deficit – as a defining issue. Article content The forced passage of C-38 was the moment when Conservative backbenchers began exerting pressure in reaction to the Harper PMO’s relentless consolidation of power in the Langevin Block ![]() This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. So the government is reduced to implementing reforms piecemeal, in a process as time-consuming as it is fitful. Even the Assembly of First Nations, it became clear last winter, cannot claim to speak for all aboriginal Canadians. It is unclear now to what extent any consensus can be reached with Canada’s aboriginal people, because the aboriginal “community” is not one but many. It also narrowed the government’s options. The Idle No More movement, which erupted last December in tandem with a high-profile fast by Chief Theresa Spence, briefly brought aboriginal issues to the fore. Northern Gateway has hit a populist wall in B.C. The FIPA with China remains un-implemented, reportedly due to concern in Conservative ranks with some provisions (translation: its deep unpopularity). Nine months later, Harper himself is in Europe, but no trade deal signing is imminent. ![]() There was talk, as Parliament got down to work last fall, of a new understanding between Ottawa and aboriginal Canadians, which would ease resource development and extraction, address the worsening skills shortage in the oil and gas and mining sectors, and boost aboriginal employment. Manage Print Subscription / Tax Receipt.
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