From the beginning of his leadership campaign, that has been Justin Trudeau's strength -- giving Canadians good reasons to vote FOR him, not just AGAINST the other guy. In that constructive spirit, he has also developed an aggressive agenda for Parliamentary, electoral and political reform to strengthen Canadian democracy and improve financial transparency.

The results of a national education survey show that a large majority of Canadians want legal restrictions on party leader powers to give more freedom and power to politicians in each party, while only 20 per cent do not want these legal restrictions. So how could these powers be restricted?

The American political conversation has refined itself into a contest between tech-savvy Democrats with armies of volunteers and wealthy Republicans with backroom boys. In other words, politics has become a war between the suits and the nerds.

As Mike Duffy's senatorial career implosion peaked this week, I was left wondering if all was really as it appeared, or if something far more complex was taking place. If Duffy -- and Wallin, and Brazeau, and others -- are part of a some plan to discredit the Senate to the point that all citizens demand its abolition.

So what's all this fuss the lefties are making about Prime Minister Harper trying to keep track of costs at the CBC by writing a few words into the back of his omnibus budget, Bill C-60? But what's the difference between a public broadcaster and a state broadcaster? I've worked for both. So I can tell you what's the difference.

The biggest and most complex problems of a generation remain unaddressed and stand a chance of remaining so no matter who the leader of the country might be in the future. Unless Justin Trudeau brings his game face to the following predicaments, he runs the risk of simply being an "also ran" like the others.

There's always been a back-and-forth in Canadian politics. Every few terms, the public would tire of either the Conservative or Liberal party and vote...

A Department of Justice lawyer, Edgar Schmidt, recently challenged his employer in court, alleging that the process that the Department uses to analyz...

We say that the system is "broken," which gives us an expedient justification for shirking our responsibilities as citizens. We are voting less and participating less, and are increasingly disengaged from our public life. But democracy is not a one-way street.

Everyone seems to agree that democracy -- "a form of government in which all eligible citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives" -- is a good thing. But there's little agreement on which form of democracy is the best good thing.

As leader of the Green Party, I've been told that I need to play the partisan political game better. Well, I disagree. I'm not in this to play the game, I'm in this to change the game. Good ideas and long-term solutions need to be the priority at Queen's Park.

To fix the malaise eroding our democracy, Canadians need a rich combination of party, electoral and Parliamentary reforms. Here are a few suggestions to contribute to a debate on this topic which I hope will become irresistible.

We are pleased to provide this opportunity for us to reflect on the best moments in Canadian democracy. This year, you nominated five worthy candidates -- the Quebec Student Movement, Female Premiers, Checks and Balances, the Speaker's protection of minority voices, and Idle No More -- and the votes are in.

Bloopers have always been fun. A good collective laugh is a healthy thing for a society. This would be a perfect year to start the "Democracy Blooper Awards." Here are my favourite anti-democratic moments of 2012. Even at its best democracy has proven to be an out-of-control PR performance where points are given for best spin, rather than outcome.

As 2012 ends, what do we in Canada understood as enduring truths that can we take into living forward in 2013? On the home front, we should have understood that democracy in Canada can be taken too much for granted. We take for granted that Parliamentary democracy is only as effective as the power concentrated in the Prime Minister's Office allows it to be. In the wrong hands, it can make MPs mostly irrelevant, as demonstrated by the Harper PMO.

A new poll released by the charitable organization Samara suggests Canadians are less satisfied with their democracy compared to eight years ago. ...

What an exciting time to be a political addict in Canada. Who says Canadian politics is boring? People who aren't paying attention, that's who. First, the Mayor of Toronto, Rob Ford, was removed from office. Second, we find out that Mark Carney got headhunted to the U.K. And elections, you know, the best sport ever? There were three! And they weren't boring, at all.