Senate Reform - 2 Years And Counting

Not much has been achieved in those two years, as the opposition parties keep blocking any attempts to bring democracy and accountability to the Upper Chamber. Both Senate reform bills, which had died on the order paper at prorogation, were reintroduced at the beginning of a new session. None of them has yet seen second reading. If anything, the Senate has just passed its bill S-224 which would enshrine the status-quo by forcing the Prime Minister to fill each vacant seat by appointment within 6 months.

Meanwhile the provinces, tired of waiting for the feds to act, chose to take the matter in their own hands. Saskatchewan and Manitoba are planning to join Alberta in holding Senate elections. BC (which lacks 3 Senators out of 6) doesn't mind following suit, provided the Federal government pays for it. (I wonder if Mr. Flaherty could slip this provision into next year's budget.)

The four Atlantic provinces are still reluctant to the idea, but they may eventually change their mind as more and more Senate seats become vacant. Nova Scotia already has 3 of its Senate seats vacant. By 2010 there will be 4 vacant seats for Nova Scotia, 3 - for New Brunswick, 2 - for Newfoundland and 1 - for PEI. Atlantic Canada will have lost one third of its Senate caucus - unless the provinces follow Alberta's example and start electing their Senators.

Which is what most Canadians want them to do. As the recent Angus-Reid poll shows 60% of Canadians are in favor holding Senate elections and 64% agree that Senate term should be limited to 8 years. The opposition proposals have much lesser support. Only 30% of Canadians are in favor of abolishing the Senate altogether. Another proposal - to have the Senators chosen by a panel of "distinguished Canadians" (e.g. - to allow a handful of self-righteous, anti-white, anti-western, anti-Christian intellectuals to appoint more of their own to the Senate) is supported by 32%.

Hopefully those numbers are enough to convince at least some of the opposition MPs to stop filibustering and let the Senate reform bills pass. As for the bill S-224 - theoretically, it should be declared non-votable by the House committee, as it goes against a piece of legislation introduced by the government. If however S-224 passes then Stephen Harper will have no choice but filling every single vacant seat with Conservatives and wait until enough Liberals retire to give him a Senate majority. (That could happen as early as mid-December of 2009.) The Senate would then pass all the bills necessary to reform the Red Chamber - and then vote for its own dissolution.