Yesterday marked the anniversary of a CQ post that started a wave of indignation and anger in Canada, as the Gomery Commission attempted to close its doors to blockbuster testimony to all but the powerful and connected. Titled "Canada's Corruption Scandal Breaks Wide Open", it gave ordinary Canadians an opportunity to learn about the specifics of the Sponsorship Programme scandal that had been deliberately withheld from them by a publication ban -- although the witnesses were testifying in an open hearing. By the time I posted the second in a series on the testimony, more than a million Canadians had flocked to CQ to read what their pressed had been banned from reporting to them.

Much has changed in the twelve months since that post. The Liberal stranglehold on power crashed on the news of their high-level involvement in Adscam, although former Prime Minister Paul Martin finagled his way through several months of Let's Make A Deal, which cost Canadian taxpayers another $4 billion in deals with the NDP. Stephen Harper, thought by many at the time to be too "scary" to ever rise to governing the nation, now has strengthened the Tory position to a near-majority standing among the electorate. In fact, a recent poll shows that 81% of Canadians want the Harper government to continue for at least the next year, and the Tories and Harper lead the Liberals now by ten points and Harper's government garners an astounding 62% approval rating.

Most of all, the coverage allowed me to connect with the Canadian blogging community and Canadians in general in a manner I never imagined. I find myself continually fascinated with Canadian politics, and Canadian readers have been instrumental in adding to the information here at CQ. I hope CQ readers will take another look at the coverage of Canada here at CQ over the past year and stay with us for even more to come.

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