As predicted by Paul Jackson on these pages, Canada's new prime minister Stephen Harper is moving to make the confirmation process for Canada's supreme court justices more politically accountable to parliament. According to the Globe and Mail his first choice for a vacancy on Canada's top bench will make Canadian history as the first appointee to face a public, all—party review before being formally named to the Supreme Court of Canada. The review won't have formal veto power, but it is step in the direction of greater judicial accountability, a constitutional bow in the direction of checks and balances, as promised by Harper. Meanwhile the new Harper government also makes good on another prediction of Jackson's: announcing plans to bolster Canada's armed forces by 13,000, so as to take a more active role in the global war on terror. Canada's C—news reports: Canada's military will have more troops and better equipment as it takes a more aggressive role fighting...(Read Full Post)