The Red-Faced Chamber.

Last autumn, millions of Canadians became aware, for the first time, of how sinister the Senate has become. Unelected, unaccountable, these men and women lurking behind the scenes on capitol hill are answerable only to their master. When he tells them to kill legislation passed by parliament, they kill -- no questions asked. 

Here is their secret volcano layer

The bill at issue was bill C311 on climate change. It had passed parliament despite the opposition of the conservatives, only to be struck down on the second reading by Tory aligned senators.

 This came as something as a surprise to the general public. The senate were never seen before as the henchmen of a particular government. In fact they weren't thought about much at all. Their traditional role was something like a glorified rubber stamp: If parliament passed a law, the Senate would give it a going over, and then either pass it along to the Governor General for approval, or back to the parliament for another going over. They didn't have the legitimacy to vote things down, because they were not elected.

This is your job!

That was the understanding everyone had. That was how it was taught to me in Social Studies 11. But, this understanding is not written down in the constitution. It's one of those unwritten, traditional rules, which is so hard to enforce when broken.

And according to the Globe, they have been given orders to kill again. Tony Clement, the minister of finance and saviour of unnamed women in distress, has apparently ordered the Conservative senators to block an NDP bill that would allow companies to sell cheap versions of medication in the third world.

Apparently, this led the New Democrat MP Paul Dewer to ask: "Do the Conservatives understand democracy, or do they just not like it?" 
 
I'd like to think that Canada is a functioning democracy. Sure, there are weird antiquated parts, and unaccountable appointed public officials, and far too much ceremonial weaponry than should be deemed safe. But I'd like to believe the process is still basically accountable to the people and the parliament they elected.

But lately, it's beginning to look less like a democracy, and more like a certain game where you get to make up the rules as you go along.

The score is always Q to 12 in Canada