Lies, Damned Lies, and Liberal Lies
I’m no lawyer, but this is how I see things…
The Prime Minister appoints whomever he wants to the Senate. This is the way it is. This is the truth.
Parliament could pass a law allowing for Senate elections, and fixed terms for Senators. This could happen, nothing prevents this law from being passed.
The Prime Minister would then obey the law and will of Parliament in “appointing” the person chosen by the people. The 8-year elected Senator would similarly follow this law and step down when they are supposed to.
If a Prime Minister or an 8-year elected Senator decided in the future that they did not want to follow this law, they could certainly challenge its Constitutionality in court. They might even get to the Supreme Court, and the Supreme Court might even strike down the law. In fact, I’d guess the Supreme Court would strike down the law.
In the interim, however, after we have gotten used to democracy in the Upper Chamber, how angry are Canadians going to be at such a blatant “spit in the face” of democracy by this future Senator or Prime Minister?
Kudos to Stephen Harper for taking on this undemocratic institution and finally reforming it. If a future Prime Minister or a future elected Senator wants to “un-reform” it, hey “BRING IT ON”. I’ll be one of the hundreds of thousands of Canadians protesting your blatantly anti-democratic behaviour!
The Liberal lie that Bill Graham and others are bandying about is that this institution cannot be reformed without “opening up the Constitution”. This contention was, is, and remains, bullshit. It’s an old argument and it has no merit to the principle of the matter at hand.
When the Constitution is opened again, I think this would be a great law to enshrine therein. In the interim, a new law, a new convention, and a commitment to democracy are all that is needed.
There are two truths from the Liberals though: 1. they do not want to lose their unelected power base in the Senate, and 2. they have no faith in Canadians to stand up for democracy in the face of a future Prime Minister or Senator that would dare turn back the clock.
Comments
Network
