Time to Abolish. the Senate

[scribblet]

Boy, if this doesn't take the cake, these liberal senators have just made the best case yet for abolishing (or electing) the Senate. Maybe its time to put it out of its misery.

http://www.ottawasun.com/Comment/Editorial...17/1492006.html

If ever we needed proof that it's time to reform or abolish the Senate, we're about to be handed it by a group of frustrated Liberals in the upper chamber who seem unable to cope with the idea that their natural governing party is out of power.

Sen. Joe Day is warning that he and the 65 other Liberals in the so-called chamber of sober second thought will make life difficult for Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his government if they dare to bring in legislation that the Grits consider contrary to the national interest.

What utter gall. It's outrageous to think that a bunch of Liberal hacks and hangers-on could hold up the work of parliamentarians we elected to set policy and pass laws.

We have seen this show before, of course, when a Grit-stacked Senate tried in 1990 to block GST legislation introduced by Prime Minister Brian Mulroney's government. That attempt led to one of the most disgraceful and embarrassing displays ever seen on Parliament Hill as senators blew whistles and kazoos, rang cowbells and quoted from the Bible in their attempts to disrupt proceedings.

Tory Sen. Marjory LeBreton says it was that kind of behaviour "that seriously damaged the already fragile reputation of the Senate."

No kidding. We'd compare them to a bunch of 8-year-olds but don't want to risk offending the children.

Losing their grip on the reins of power is never easy for Liberals to accept, but here's a lesson that they had better learn and learn now: Harper and the Conservatives form the government of the day. They were elected to power on a platform that committed them to some very specific programs, including tax reform, financial assistance to parents, crime control and restoring faith in Medicare.

[Nocrap]

Boy, if this doesn't take the cake, these liberal senators have just made the best case yet for abolishing (or electing) the Senate. Maybe its time to put it out of its misery.

http://www.ottawasun.com/Comment/Editorial...17/1492006.html

If ever we needed proof that it's time to reform or abolish the Senate, we're about to be handed it by a group of frustrated Liberals in the upper chamber who seem unable to cope with the idea that their natural governing party is out of power.

Sen. Joe Day is warning that he and the 65 other Liberals in the so-called chamber of sober second thought will make life difficult for Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his government if they dare to bring in legislation that the Grits consider contrary to the national interest.

What utter gall. It's outrageous to think that a bunch of Liberal hacks and hangers-on could hold up the work of parliamentarians we elected to set policy and pass laws.

We have seen this show before, of course, when a Grit-stacked Senate tried in 1990 to block GST legislation introduced by Prime Minister Brian Mulroney's government. That attempt led to one of the most disgraceful and embarrassing displays ever seen on Parliament Hill as senators blew whistles and kazoos, rang cowbells and quoted from the Bible in their attempts to disrupt proceedings.

Tory Sen. Marjory LeBreton says it was that kind of behaviour "that seriously damaged the already fragile reputation of the Senate."

No kidding. We'd compare them to a bunch of 8-year-olds but don't want to risk offending the children.

Losing their grip on the reins of power is never easy for Liberals to accept, but here's a lesson that they had better learn and learn now: Harper and the Conservatives form the government of the day. They were elected to power on a platform that committed them to some very specific programs, including tax reform, financial assistance to parents, crime control and restoring faith in Medicare.

I agree to a certain extent. I'm currently reading Stephen Harper's biography and find his idea of a triple E, or elected senate, not without merit. However, the risk is that an elected senate will simply produce more partisan politics but at a different level; like we're seeing with the Liberal stacked senate now.

I don't believe that there is an easy solution, unless there is a way to make the senate more equally divided, so that it won't matter what party is in power; all would be equally represented.

Your only statement that I don't agree with is that the CPC plans to restore Medicare. I think they're poised to scrap it.

[michao]

The senate is a disorganized and biased place, and this can never be changed, but I will tell you one thing, that if it is abolished, then who is a check on the government, even if a bioased check it is still a check, and secondly an elected senate cannot work.

[idealisttotheend]

However, the risk is that an elected senate will simply produce more partisan politics but at a different level; like we're seeing with the Liberal stacked senate now

So why not have an elected senators that are elected every, say, six years but cannot have any party affiliation. They would all run independently like municipal councillors or school board trustees. I think that this would be the ideal situation. The party system is required in parliament so that there is some stability and you can have ministerial portfolios and the like. But in the senate there is no need for that and having people without parties voting their consciousness could be an effective balance to the sometimes skewed voted you get in parliament where free votes are not common. The only major potential problem is that you could end up with increased regionalism as the regions vote en masse and you get complaints from the West that Ontario and Quebec always vote against them etc.

There was the suggestion a while back to that the people inducted into the Order of Canada be made the senators but I think that would unduly politicize the Order of Canada nomination process.

[geoffrey]

Have the Provincial governments elect their equal share of them?

[idealisttotheend]

Have the Provincial governments elect their equal share of them?

Perhaps but I can't see Ontario signing anything that would give them the same number of senators as New Brunswick given the population difference. Perhaps wait for a friendly federalist government in both Quebec and Ontario (as reform to the senate and seat changes would require a constitutional amendment) and then go for a 4 or 5 region model.

[Hicksey]

The senate is a disorganized and biased place, and this can never be changed, but I will tell you one thing, that if it is abolished, then who is a check on the government, even if a bioased check it is still a check, and secondly an elected senate cannot work.

It's one thing to say it. Tell us why.

[na85]

Wait... people still give the SUN any credit these days? It's a dishrag of inflammatory remarks, and its practices border on tabloid.

I agree that the Liberal senators are being idiotic on this issue, but the article linked to was horrendously biased. Surprise surprise, coming from SUN Media.