Links to media coverage regarding the Senate Vacancies litigation are included below. (Last updated June 3, 2016)
December 2014
- CBC News, December 15, 2014: “Stephen Harper’s unappointed Senate seats unconstitutional, Vancouver lawyer says“.
- CKNW Radio, The Drex Live Show (Audio), December 15, 2014.
- CBC Radio One, The Early Edition (Audio), December 15, 2014, by Jason Proctor.
- Le Devoir (French), December 16, 2014: <<Le Sénat encore devant les tribunaux>>, by Hélène Buzzetti.
- Le Devoir (French), December 17, 2014: <<Abolir le Sénat une retraite à la fois?>> by Hélène Buzzetti.
January-March 2015
- CBA National Magazine, January 29, 2015: “Filling Senate Vacancies” by Justin Ling.
- Canadian Lawyer Magazine, March 2, 2015: “Taking on the Big Guns” by Richard Foot.
- Le Devoir (French), March 21, 2015: “Nominations au Sénat: Ottawa demande de rejeter la cause” by Hélène Buzzetti.
April 2015
- Canadian Press, April 9, 2015: “PM’s Refusal to Fill Senate Vacancies Challenged Amid Duffy Trial” by Joan Bryden (Link to National Newswatch).
- Canadian Press, April 13, 2015: “Outrage spurs calls for reform, abolition of Senate but easier said than done” by Joan Bryden (Link to CityNews).
- CBC Radio One, As It Happens (Audio), April 21, 2015: “Missouri mayor, Senate appointment lawyer, South African journalists: Mozambique profile (Part 3)” (at 11:05). [Ed. As of December 3, 2024, the CBC Radio One audio clip is no longer maintained on the website. A print version of the point-in-time website is available through the Wayback Machine at this link.]
- CBC News, April 23, 2015: “Prime Minister Stephen Harper sued by B.C. lawyer for not filling senate seats” by Greg Rasmussen.
May 2015
- Canadian Press, May 21, 2015: “Court case to fill Senate vacancies pushes forward” by Joan Bryden (link to Toronto Star).
- The Globe and Mail, May 21, 2015: “Stephen Harper’s game of Senate appointment make-believe will end” by Campbell Clark.
- La Presse (French), May 21, 2015: “Nominations au Sénat: la Cour fédérale accepte d’entendre un recours” by Hugo de Grandpré.
- Agence QMI (French), May 22, 2015: “Nominations au Sénat: le gouvernement devra s’expliquer en cour” (link to Droit-Inc).
- Maclean’s On the Hill (Audio), May 22, 2015: “Maclean’s on the Hill: Terror arrests, confusion after a shooting” (at 21:30).
- Radio-Canada Midi express (Audio, French), May 22, 2015: “Un avocat de Vancouver demande au premier ministre de nommer de nouveaux sénateurs“.
- Blacklock’s Reporter (Unlocked), May 22, 2015: “Sues to Fill Senate Vacancies” by Dale Smith.
- CBC Power and Politics (Video), May 22, 2015: “Off the Radar: Court case on Senate appointments gets green light” (at 4:00).
June 2015
- Canadian Press, June 1, 2015: “Feds appeal judge’s refusal to dismiss court case on Senate vacancies” by Joan Bryden (link to CTV News).
- Blacklock’s Reporter (Unlocked), June 2, 2015: “Feds appeal Senate lawsuit” by Dale Smith.
- Lawyers Weekly Canada, June 12, 2015 issue: “ Novel lawsuit could reverberate beyond Senate to bench choices” by Cristin Schmitz.
- Maclean’s, June 9, 2015: “Is this the end of the Senate as we know it?” by Aaron Wherry.
- Blacklock’s Reporter (Unlocked), June 29, 2015: “Senate Lawsuit Back In Court” by Dale Smith.
- The Hill Times (Subscription), June 30, 2015: “Politics This Morning: Federal court to hear Senate vacancy fast-track arguments” by Bea Vongdouangchanh.
- CBC News Vancouver (Video), June 30, 2015: “Senate Vacancies Challenge” (at 16:00).
- Radio-Canada (French), June 30, 2015: “Un avocat de Vancouver veut forcer Stephen Harper à nommer des sénateurs” by Annick R. Forest.
July 2015
- CBC Power and Politics (Video), July 24, 2015: “Stephen Harper won’t appoint any new senators” [Fmr. Senate Clerk Gordon Barnhardt, constitutional law expert Carissima Mathen and lawyer Aniz Alani discuss the PM’s decision to no longer appoint any senators].
- Global National (Video), July 24, 2015: “Harper announces moratorium on new Senate appointments“.
- Global News (Video), July 24, 2015: “Is Harper’s plan for the Senate constitutional?” by Anna Mehler Paperny.
- The Globe and Mail, July 24, 2015: “Stephen Harper needs to get serious about Senate policy” by Campbell Clark.
- Ottawa Citizen, July 24, 2015: “PM Harper slaps moratorium on Senate appointments ahead of election” by Jason Fekete.
- Toronto Star, July 24, 2015: “Stephen Harper swears off new Senate appointments” by Les Whittington and Bruce Campion-Smith.
- Maclean’s, July 24, 2015: “After appointing 56 senators, Stephen Harper is done” by Aaron Wherry.
- News Talk 980 CKNW, July 24, 2015: “Vancouver lawyer challenging Prime Minister on senator vacancies” by Simon Little.
- CBC News, July 25, 2015: “Stephen Harper vows not to name any senators before reforms made” by Laura Payton.
- Canadian Press, July 25, 2015: “What critics are saying about the moratorium on the Senate” (link to Global News).
- Canadian Press, July 27, 2015: “Lawyer wants Stephen Harper to seek top court’s advice on Senate vacancies” by Joan Bryden (link to Toronto Star).
- iPolitics, July 27, 2015: “Harper’s Senate stance is all about finding someone to blame” by Tasha Kheiriddin.
- National Post, July 28, 2015: “The right moment for Senate reform” (Editorial Board).
- iPolitics, July 31, 2015: “How much constitutional trouble could Harper’s Senate vacancies cause?” by Kyle Duggan.
- Maclean’s, July 31, 2015: “Senate reform? There’s just the teensy problem of the Constitution” by John Geddes.
- Calgary Herald, July 31, 2015: “Harper can’t hide from his duty to the Senate” by Paula Simons.
August 2015
- Toronto Star, August 7, 2015: “Fact-checking 7 claims in the leaders debate” by Robin Levinson King.
- CBC News, August 12, 2015: “Stephen Harper says Mike Duffy’s Senate expenses ‘could not be justified’” by Susana Mas.
September 2015
- Canadian Press, September 1, 2015: “Harper Did Not Decide To Not Fill Senate Vacancies: Federal Lawyers” by Joan Bryden (link to Huffington Post).
October 2015
- The Georgia Straight, October 23, 2015: “Reasonable Doubt: legal complications stand before Trudeau’s plans for marijuana and electoral reform” by Michael McCubbin.
November 2015
- CBA National Magazine, November 2015: “The new government and Charter challenges” by Justin Ling.
January 2016
- Lawyers Weekly Canada, January 22, 2016 issue: ” Liberals defend discretion but work on process” by Cristin Schmitz.
- Canadian Press, January 22, 2016: “Feds say court case moot now that new Senate appointment process launched” by Joan Bryden (link to Victoria Times Colonist).
- Canadian Press, January 25, 2016: “Feds lose bid to toss court challenge over prolonged Senate vacancies” by Joan Bryden (link to The Globe and Mail).
March 2016
- iPolitics, March 1, 2016: “With another Senate seat open, lawyer asks where Trudeau stands on vacancies” by Kyle Duggan.
- Canadian Press, March 1, 2016: “Lawyer offers to drop Senate case if Trudeau sets timeline for filling seats” by Joan Bryden (link to The Globe and Mail).
- CBC Power and Politics (Video), March 2, 2016: “Senate Vacancies” [Interview at 1:28:00].
- CKNW AM980, March 18, 2016: “Vancouver lawyer not giving up constitutional challenge” by Shane Woodford.
Blog commentary
- Slaw.ca, “Of Senate Vacancies and Canada’s Constitutional Galahads“, December 15, 2014, by Nate Russell.
- Double Aspect, “Constitutional Defiance“, January 2, 2015, by Leonid Sirota.
- Double Aspect, “Please Advise“, January 7, 2015, by Leonid Sirota.
- Administrative Law Matters, “Justiciability of Senate Non-Appointments“, February 17, 2015, by Paul Daly.
- Double Aspect, “Public Interest in Litigation“, March 22, 2015, by Leonid Sirota.
- Double Aspect, “Let’s Hear It“, May 22, 2015, by Leonid Sirota.
- Administrative Law Matters, “Decisions, Decisions, Decisions: Alani v. Canada (Prime Minister), 2015 FC 649“, May 27, 2015, by Paul Daly.
- Routine Proceedings, “Roundup: A moratorium courting constitutional crisis“, July 25, 2015, by Dale Smith.
- Double Aspect, “Dismiss Him“, July 25, 2015, by Leonid Sirota.
- Policy Options, “Achievable Senate Reform“, September 21, 2015, by Andrew Heard.
- Double Aspect, “A Bad Case“, September 23, 2015, by Leonid Sirota.
- Centre for Constitutional Studies, “The Powers of the Canadian Prime Minister“, October 19, 2015, by Juliana Ho
- Policy Options, “Is it (still) worth making a federal case out of unfilled Senate vacancies?“, January 5, 2016, by Aniz Alani.