is the senate worth keeping?!

[zhoot]

in Canada,Some people feel that the senate should simply be abolished. They feel it is outdated, unnecessary, and undemocratic. They argue that patronage has effectively destroyed any role the senate may have had as a representative of the regions, and that it is too costly to justify keeping---in any form. Instead, more power should be vested in elected members of the House of Commons. However, some people feel the senate really worth keeping... how do you think about that? is the senate worth keeping or not ?!

[Topaz]

in Canada,Some people feel that the senate should simply be abolished. They feel it is outdated, unnecessary, and undemocratic. They argue that patronage has effectively destroyed any role the senate may have had as a representative of the regions, and that it is too costly to justify keeping---in any form. Instead, more power should be vested in elected members of the House of Commons. However, some people feel the senate really worth keeping... how do you think about that? is the senate worth keeping or not ?!

For those who think we should get rid of it I ask, have you ever watched the senate committee meetings? Yes, there were some bad apples in the past, but with more openness now, that problem is gone. I didn't think too much of the senate either, until I watched and saw exactly what they do. The only change I would make is to have an equal number of senators from all parties.

[g_bambino]

is the senate worth keeping or not ?!

Of course it's worth keeping. There isn't a federated country on the planet that doesn't have bicameral parliament. There could be changes to the process of selecting senators (though election is not automatically the best choice), but the body itself is an integral part of our system of governance.

[Michael Hardner]

What have they done... pretty much ever ?

Not much.

Maybe we could make the senate regionally based, elected AND proportionally represented.

Then just take away their ability to shoot down legislation, but maybe allow them to pass it back to the HofC a few times.

Other than the value in making people feel that the system is more 'free' 'representative' and so on, it's expensive window dressing composed of seniors wearing outdated suits.

[madmax]

Good riddence

[g_bambino]

Good riddence

Right on cue: knee-jerk responses completely lacking in substance.

[ToadBrother]

in Canada,Some people feel that the senate should simply be abolished. They feel it is outdated, unnecessary, and undemocratic. They argue that patronage has effectively destroyed any role the senate may have had as a representative of the regions, and that it is too costly to justify keeping---in any form. Instead, more power should be vested in elected members of the House of Commons. However, some people feel the senate really worth keeping... how do you think about that? is the senate worth keeping or not ?!

Most countries have some sort of bicameral legislature, and the underlying theory that a chamber of sober second thought with people who are somewhat outside of the normal political process seems beneficial. I like the American system, where Senators sit for six years (compared to Representatives who sit for two), which means each Senator is around for a number of electoral cycles.

Our Senate was pretty much explicitly designed as a patronage system to give the mercantile and aristocratic classes in Confederation a voice (much like the House of Lords once gave the British gentry and aristocracy, who paid most of the bills at the time, a voice). Clearly I think in both the UK and Canada things have evolved, so I think we should revisit reform, but the Senate is a sticky situation, with the Atlantic provinces, Ontario and Quebec having little desire to see their influence watered down, and it is this, in part, that makes the necessary constitutional changes all but impossible.

The chief argument for the Senate in a country like Canada is that it gives a voice for the Provinces in the Federal government. In the US, this works very well, but in part because each state has the same number of Senators. In Canada, the formula was based largely on how Confederation was put together in 1867. If you kill the Senate, the Provinces will effectively be locked out of Ottawa.

Edited June 30, 2010 by ToadBrother