Senate Reform May go to Nationwide Vote By JJ McCullough, Editor-in-Chief lage ground between the NDP and the Conservative party on the topic of senate reform may prompt a Canada- wide referendum on the future of the upper chamber, politicians from both parties announced last week. Prime Minister Stephen Harper has spent much of his political life advocating senate reform, and last year successfully pushed through a bill imposing a mandatory eight-year term limits for senators. The bill ended up being held up in the Senate itself, however, and eventually died when parliament was prorogued in September. Since becoming Prime Minister, Harper has also largely avoided filling the Senate’s dozen empty seats, appointing only two senators during his year-and-a- half in office. In addition, one of these two was Albertan Bert Brown, a two- time winner of a Senate protest election in his province. The Prime Minister has always declared his end goal to be a fully elected senate, with representation issues being settled afterwards. However he has also stated that if piecemeal reform is too slow or difficult, he favors outright abolishment. This has long been the position of the NDP, giving the two parties a rare moment of common cause. At the time of press, the exact —"™" wording of the NDP-initiated motion was unknown, but press reports suggested the bill will propose holding a national referendum on October 19, 2009—the date of the next federal election, under Harper’s new fixed-election date legislation—with two options: either maintain the Senate status quo, or approve the chamber’s abolishment. Both the CPC and NDP have said they will support the bill’s passage in the House of Commons. Reports of a polarized proposal quickly earned controversy, however. In a lead editorial, the National Post declared that a “straight up or down vote on continuation of Parliament’s second house would not present voters with sufficient options,” and instead called for the option of an elected, term-limited senate to be included. The Halifax Harold offered harsher criticism, describing the referendum proposal as a “farce.” NDP and CPC politicians “ignore the absolute necessity to change the Constitution if any reforms are to be accomplished,” the editorial declared, making reference to the fact that a referendum on abolishing the senate would not in itself hold any legal force. The Canadian constitution does not outline any procedures for deciding constitutional reforms by public vote, and presently the only way amendments can be passed is through the assent of a majority of provincial governments. In 1992, however, then-Prime Minister Brian Mulroney sought the passage of a package of constitutional amendments known as the Charlottetown Accord, which prompted many premiers to pass legislation mandating that provincial assent be only given after the success of a province-wide referendum. A national referendum unilaterally issued by Ottawa would likely be used to similar ends, in an effort to pressure provincial governments to grant formal approval after a successful vote. Writers Strike Threatens TV Lineup By Garth McLennan The Writer’s Guild of America is now Officially on strike for the first time in 20 years, the last time being in 1988, when the entertainment industry was shut down for 22 weeks. Virtually all forms of television programming could be harmed by the strike. Everything from late-night talk shows, to daytime soap operas, to prime time shows such as Heroes and House could be disrupted by the job action. “Prime time” shows will be the last to be disrupted, as they have future scripts already written, but that probably won’t last long. The strike centres on the writers’ desire for a bigger share of the money from DVDs sold, and a profit sharing program over the sale and showing of TV shows and movies that are broadcasted over the internet. The internet debate is believed to be of particular importance. While it represents just a fraction of DVD sales right now, many believe that it will be the wave of the future for the entertainment business. “The future of TV is not going to look like what it’s been for the last 30 years,” said TV writer Dave Schiff. “So, you know it’s not just for us who are currently working, but writers down the line, that we make sure that we get a... piece of the pie.” Schiff has written scripts for such hit series as King of the Hill and That 70’s Show. Both sides—the writers and the studios — have been meeting since July to try and come to an agreement, but have been unsuccessful. The writer’s guild has accused the studios of not being willing to negotiate. “After three and a half months of bargaining, they still have not responded toasingleoneofourimportant proposals,” a spokesperson from the writer’s guild said, speaking to the Associated Press. “Every issue that matters to writers, including internet reuse, original writing for new media, DVDs, and jurisdiction, has been ignored. This is completely unacceptable.” “The studios made it clear that they would rather shut down this town than reach a fair and reasonable deal,” says Patric Verrone, president of the western chapter of the guild. The heads of the studios have denounced the guild’s demands as unreasonable. The studios believe that there is room to negotiate on separate issues, but has stated that they are unwilling to move on the DVD and internet issues, two of the guild’s chief points. Because of both the guild and the studio’s position not to negotiate on these issues, the strike has been seen as inevitable for a long time. “We’ve never been more united and we are willing to deal—and our decision-makers are at the table,’ Says Steve Skrovan, a FOX screenwriter. Already, the sticoms Till’ Death, Back to You, and Rules of Engagement have been cancelled for the time being. Strikers converged outside the set for the show Desperate Housewives and chanted slogans while filming was in progress. Guild protesters also congregated at the sets of 30 Rock and Gossip Girl. The writers last went on strike in the 1980s, a tumultuous decade for the film and television industry, as it faced five strikes from various guilds over the decade. The major halt in 1988 cost the industry over $500 million. The writer’s guild of America spans the entire continent, with head offices in New York and Los Angeles, primarily Hollywood. The guild has a membership of 12,000, incorporating both full and part-time workers. The film and television industry in the United States encompasses over 1.3 million jobs.