Canada tightens financial checks for study permits - CIC News

Cornell Van Ryk weighs referendum questions 7 to 9, arguing for Senate reform, national health-care standards and legal consistency across Canada. OPINIONCornell Van Ryk, a resident of the MD of Pincher Creek, has been posting his thoughts on the Oct. 19 referendum questions to social media. After readers asked us to bring the series to the paper, he agreed to walk Breeze readers through the ballot. He describes himself as a political junkie with no particular expertise, and what follows is his opinion. Readers are encouraged to research the questions themselves and draw their own conclusions. Ballot Question 7Do you support the Government of Alberta working with the governments of other willing provinces to amend the Canadian Constitution to abolish the unelected federal Senate? Our political system requires checks and balances to prevent a democratic government from accumulating too much power and potentially becoming authoritarian. When we elect a majority government, the leader and cabinet have considerable power, making effective checks and balances extremely important. Unfortunately, many of the checks on government power have lost their effectiveness over time.