Bringing Rental Cars Into Canada From the U.S.

Transport Canada has announced that, beginning June 1, 2012, Canadian residents will be able to bring U.S. rental vehicles into Canada for non-commercial use for 30 days or less. Right now, Canadian residents aren't allowed to bring U.S. rental cars into Canada. This might not sound like a big deal, but in certain circumstances it could come in handy. If your car breaks down or if your flight is cancelled at the last minute are two situations when you might want to rent a car to get home.
Changes are also coming to eliminate taxes on these vehicles for Canadians who have been outside of Canada for at least 48 hours.
Visitors to Canada will continue to be allowed to bring rental vehicles from the United States into Canada.
Be sure to check with the rental car agency for more details and to get permission to take their rental out of the U.S.
Photo: Jeff Vinnick / Getty Images

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Senate Reform in Canada

There have been concerns about the makeup of the Senate and its role since Confederation. The complaints nowadays seem to centre around who gets appointed, how representative it is, and their short work weeks. (The Senate did only sit for 64 days in 2011.) If you ever get a chance to sit in on a Senate committee hearing though, you'll be amazed at the level of discussion. It's usually well-researched, intelligent and just plain interesting. It's a very different exercise than House of Commons committee meetings which feel more like political ping-pong.

The latest effort at Senate reform in Canada is a two-pronged bill which sets fixed terms of nine years for senators, and also provides a voluntary "framework" for provinces to select Senate nominees which the prime minister can consider. It's likely that this approach will also spend some time in legal wrangling over constitutionality.

The Senate of Canada
The Role of Canadian Senators
Salaries of Canadian Senators
Introduction to Parliament

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