Bob Runciman

Who’s up? A Senate committee with an urgent report. Who’s down? A House committee with a total misfire.

I’m told a vote on C-290 might not come until January, but third reading debate in the Senate began yesterday with a speech from Conservative Senator Bob Runciman, the sponsor of the bill in the red chamber.

The Canadian Press and the Globe report that the sports betting bill is headed for defeat in the Senate.

The government that wants—on “principle”—to end the vote subsidy for political parties, finds a new way to use public funds for partisan purposes.

Two of Stephen Harper’s senators are now openly quibbling with the idea of a fully elected Senate—another three apparently reluctant to say where they stand.

The new senator, speaking to reporters this morning. “And what is worse, are politicians who say one thing while the cameras are running but do another when they think no one is paying attention … Michael Ignatieff wants you to believe that he is tough on crime, but when push came to shove, Canadians couldn’t count on him to protect their safety. After months of Liberal stalling and delays, Ignatieff’s Liberals gutted this important piece of legislation. Canadians are fed up with unelected Liberal senators doing Ignatieff’s dirty work and standing in the way of action to protect victims and get tough on dangerous criminals. Michael Ignatieff needs to explain to Canadian why his own unelected Liberal senators gutted this special measure and he needs to tell his Liberal senators to support it when it is reintroduced and Canadians expect nothing less.”

You new senators are Bob Runciman, Pierre-Hugues Boisvenu, Vim Kochhar, Elizabeth Marshall, and Rose-May Poirier. Runciman, for one, has already proven a valuable member of the team.