Abolish Senate, McGuinty suggests

[stignasty]

Abolish Senate, McGuinty suggests

Canadian Press

Toronto — Canada's Senate should be abolished because it doesn't adequately represent Ontario, the province's Premier said Thursday.

A day after Prime Minister Stephen Harper said he hopes that senators will have to run for office before the next general election, Premier Dalton McGuinty said he would prefer that the upper chamber is tossed out entirely.

“My preference is that we eliminate the Senate,” Mr. McGuinty told reporters after a party fundraising dinner in Toronto.

Link

[geoffrey]

It doesn't adequately represent Ontario? You can't be serious... Ontario has the most spots (tied with Quebec of course).

It definitely over represents Quebec and the Maritimes, but Ontario, boohoo, talk about under represented, look at BC.

[Spike22]

I have seen the senate in action - it is not a pretty sight. An ex-NHLer who can't stay awake until it is feeding time. Get rid of thease overpaid useless dipsticks. It is our maoney at work er sorry not at work here.

[fixer1]

I may agree that abolishing the senate is a good idea, but maybe we can abolish McGuinty all with the senate. They both have about the same usefulness.

[tml12]

I may agree that abolishing the senate is a good idea, but maybe we can abolish McGuinty all with the senate. They both have about the same usefulness.

Abolish Ontario.

Just kidding, but seriously...will McGuinty ever shut up??? All he's been doing is bitching for the past two weeks and he's getting REALLY annoying.

Sorry if I'm in a bad mood but I spent ten days in Florida and only got back a few days ago.

Going from +30 to -15 makes me very tired and cold.

[uOttawaMan]

I don't agree with his reasons, but I agree with the idea.

Would avoid the whole nasty situation having elected members in the Senate, which I still think is going to cause some major problems down the road in terms of where the true legislative power will lie.

[stignasty]

The senate does have a purpose. Other than the idea of "sober second thought" that we learn in gradeschool, the senate is useful for making sure that bills are written in the correct legal language so that they will hold up to scrutiny in the courts. Without the senate we may see an increase in laws being thrown out on appeal.

[August1991]

Abolish Senate, McGuinty suggests

Flipping though the forum, I see this thread.

Didn't David Peterson (or some other Ontario PM - Bill Davis?) offer to maintain the Senate but cut Ontario's federal Senate seats? (I think it was part of Joe Clark's Charlottetown agreement, and an attempt to "make Canada work".)

Question: Why are Ontario politicians such flakes but Toronto business types so greedy/boring? Is this a good cop-bad cop set up?

[cybercoma]

I may agree that abolishing the senate is a good idea, but maybe we can abolish McGuinty all with the senate. They both have about the same usefulness.

Abolish Ontario.

Just kidding, but seriously...will McGuinty ever shut up??? All he's been doing is bitching for the past two weeks and he's getting REALLY annoying.

Sorry if I'm in a bad mood but I spent ten days in Florida and only got back a few days ago.

Going from +30 to -15 makes me very tired and cold.

He's in a bad mood because he's slated to lose 5 seats in byelections coming up...

[geoffrey]

The senate does have a purpose. Other than the idea of "sober second thought" that we learn in gradeschool, the senate is useful for making sure that bills are written in the correct legal language so that they will hold up to scrutiny in the courts. Without the senate we may see an increase in laws being thrown out on appeal.

Absolutely correct.

Lets elect them, have 5 or 6 per province. Regional representation, elected people. All happy. Lets go have a beer.

[Transplanted Caper]

I saw this article a few days ago and thought to myself, "oh Dalton is going to say the Senate is unnecessary and a drain on tax dollars". I shrugged my shoulders and thought of the reasons I disagreed and read on. Then I found out that McGuinty is out too lunch. Being against the Senate is a perfectly legitimate opinion, but to suggest Ontario is under reprseneted is idiotic for two reasons. First, they have the most seats and secondly because the Senate is supposed to be about regional equality rather then population.

[Transplanted Caper]

The senate does have a purpose. Other than the idea of "sober second thought" that we learn in gradeschool, the senate is useful for making sure that bills are written in the correct legal language so that they will hold up to scrutiny in the courts. Without the senate we may see an increase in laws being thrown out on appeal.

Absolutely correct.

Lets elect them, have 5 or 6 per province. Regional representation, elected people. All happy. Lets go have a beer.

Its something I would agre with. Not to sure whether or not each province would have the same number of seats or whether it would be a situation where a region (i.e. Atlantic Canada) would be given a certain allotment of seats to distribute. However, another thing Ive always thought would work with an elected Senate (say we go by your idea and give 6 to each province for a total of 66, the extra 6 coming from the Terrritories) would be to have one seat in each province for an Aboriginal who would represent the Aboriginal population. Therefore there would be 66 + 13 Aboriginal senators for a total of 79.

[geoffrey]

Its something I would agre with. Not to sure whether or not each province would have the same number of seats or whether it would be a situation where a region (i.e. Atlantic Canada) would be given a certain allotment of seats to distribute. However, another thing Ive always thought would work with an elected Senate (say we go by your idea and give 6 to each province for a total of 66, the extra 6 coming from the Terrritories) would be to have one seat in each province for an Aboriginal who would represent the Aboriginal population. Therefore there would be 66 + 13 Aboriginal senators for a total of 79.

How about a Chinese, Sihk (Kirpan included), Muslim... ect. ect. rep too?

Nah thats not right Caper. It's kind of silly to force minorities into offices dont' you think? If there is that many Indians in a province, they'll elect one.

Representation doesn't work with affirmative action very well.

[wellandboy]

Abolish Dalton or send him to the Senate, anything to put him out of our misery.

[Wilber]

I think what he really means is Ontario can't dominate the Senate like it so often can the Commons and he doesn't see any type of reform that would allow it. Therefore we should get rid of it.

[scribblet]

Abolish Dalton or send him to the Senate, anything to put him out of our misery.

Elect it or abolish it - and soon