The Senate has voted to suspend Patrick Brazeau, Mike Duffy and Pamela Wallin without pay and without perks for a period of two years. The three are accused of  claiming improper living and travel expenses. They will retain their health, dental and life insurance benefits. But the disgraced senators must leave the government premises and not return for the specified period. The vote was 50-29 in the Conservative dominated Red Chamber. In the Commons, Prime Minister Harper endured another question period grilling today, this time about a letter that shows the RCMP is seeking documents that “may potentially be evidence of criminal wrongdoing” by some in the Prime Minister’s Office. In particular, investigators are looking for emails related to a “script” Duffy said he was given by the PMO to cover up the fact that Nigel Wright, Harper’s chief of staff at the time, gave him $90,000 to repay his disallowed expenses. For the time being however, the suspensions would appear to end the soap opera of “sue process” and accusations that have embroiled the Senate all summer. 

The impact of a 9-year-old Dutch girl’s raw talent has shocked judges at the Holland Got Talent program and created an overnight international sensation. She is  Amira Willighagen, a schoolgirl otherwise unknown who has never even taken singing lessons. Here she sings a familiar piece from Puccini’s opera  ‘Gianni Schicchi’.  It is known in English as Oh My Beloved Father.  From the Mirror:  “Are you really nine years old?” astounded judge Chantal Janzen asked. “This is incredible.” Perhaps even more amazing was when young Amira admitted she had never even had singing lessons, instead honing her incredible voice from YouTube tutorials. In the above video the opening remarks are in Dutch. Amira begins to sing at about one minute and 40 seconds into the video. Mirror

John Filion (Ward 23) has proposed a motion at City Council which is intended to remove the power invested in the mayor to appoint and fire heads of committees as well as the deputy mayor. The Filion motion is seconded by Paul Ainslie (Ward 43) and will be put before council at its next meeting Monday, December 16, 2013. The motion, if passed by council. would remove the mayor’s ability to shuffle the members of his executive committee and hand that power over to city council at large. Filion said his motion is the strongest action council can take against the mayor. He told CTV that as long as the mayor has the power to hire or fire committee chairs the appointment process gets mixed up with the business of the city. Mayor Ford has fired at least two of the original executive committee members elected with him in 2010. They are centre-right councillors Jaye Robinson (Ward 33) and now TTC chair Karen Stintz (Ward 16). This motion seems like the most promising way available to council to work around the mayor. Wednesday, however, John Parker (Ward 26) expressed concern that council may not have the power to enforce this control on the mayor.  Mr. Ford has apologized twice in three days, admitted he smokes crack cocaine and attacked the police and the media in a way that suggests he is a deeply troubled man. His brother, Rob Ford (Ward 2) has pursued a campaign of accusation which is also very troubling. Promises by the mayor that he will never repeat any of the many sins on record is not believable. Clearly the mayor should resign. In the absence of that, City Council should act to throw the strongest net it can over Mr. Ford and his brother.

EARLIER STORYDoug Ford (Ward 2) has said that his brother, the mayor, will not meet with the police “at this time.” Mr. Ford made the statement when he appeared on CP24 with Stephen LeDrew. Doug Ford gave no reason for this refusal except for a reference to legal advice. The Toronto Police Service has requested to speak to the mayor about matters related to its surveillance of him and his friend, Alexander Lisi, who is now accused of extortion. Doug Ford said that members of the media were “out of control” in regard to his brother. He said that he believed CP24’s City Hall reporter Katie Simpson “wants to rip Rob apart.” Mr. Ford invoked images of a lynch mob unlike anything that has ever been seen in Canadian poliltics. Mr. LeDrew asked several questions aimed at exploring the particulars of the mayor’s behaviour which were deflected by changing the subject. There was no explanation, nor has there been, about what Mr. Ford was doing in the more than 100 furtive meetings he had with Mr. Lisi in which he received bags from his friend.