Senate Refooooooooorm
I am very frustrated by the events of recent days. I have been fighting for a Triple-E Senate for 15 years, and finally our party gets elected (twice) with a (lower house) mandate to reform the Senate. But stall tactics, opposition and general aggrevation of the process has led us to where we are now: NOWHERE.
The NDP, Bloc and some provinces want the Senate abolished. I’m really starting to think that’s what we’re going to have to do.
There are really three options: the status quo (this requires any old Liberal majority), abolish the Senate (the Conservatives team with the NDP and the provinces to do so sooner rather than later), or a Triple-E Senate (possibly, though not certainly, requiring convincing/replacing a bunch of provincial governments, waiting about 2 years to get a Conservative majority in the Senate by doing the very thing we despise: appointing them, and also achieving a majority of Conservatives in the House of Commons).
I can understand the argument for abolishing the Senate. And if you believe the Senate should be abolished, I can also understand why you wouldn’t want it reformed (it would gain legitimacy and abolishment might never be politically possible). But I still believe that “reformed” it could be a valuable institution.
But I am truly saddened by the events of the past few days. I don’t blame Stephen Harper – the same opposition that chastises him for appointing Senators when he said he wouldn’t is the same opposition that thwarted all his attempts to reform the institution and held a threat over his head that they would appoint their own Senators when they completed their coup d’etat – Elizabeth May was practically salivating at the trough – pushing the numbers so high in the Senate that the earliest possible date to reform it again would be April 22, 2016 when Liberal Senator Céline Hervieux-Payette is due to retire (assuming nobody dies, and EVERY SINGLE Senator appointed until then after the 18 Liberals was a Conservative – ya, right).
So, the short answer for the Senate Reform date if Harper hadn’t acted now: NEVER.
I think the Conservative Party should spend about 12 months trying to find some common ground to reform the Senate with the Liberals. The threat will be: help us reform it, or we will work with the NDP (and Bloc) to abolish it. This might just get the Liberal’s attention. Failing this, we follow through and work to abolish it.
As much as I’d like to see it reformed, abolishing it would be far better than the current system.
Comments
-
no voice
-
JC Kelan
-
Tony
Network
