The Senate Strikes Again

[August1991]

Anyone hear about our good old senate? 30 large for a weeklong vacation and a "light" itenerary. There's 30 large us taxpayers won't see again.

Looking through this thread, I think Blueblood got it right at the start.

Four Senators made a trip to Europe and the Gulf to learn about security measures and possibly go to Afghanistan. The trip cost $138,000.

Committee members were recently slammed in media reports and in a national newspaper editorial over a $138,000 overseas trip that included a stop at a luxury hotel in Dubai.

Liberal Senator Colin Kenny says someone in the government with an agenda and perhaps in the prime minister's office likely pointed out the trip to a CTV journalist.

G & M

A news report accusing four senators of spending tens of thousands at a Dubai hotel when they couldn't complete an Afghanistan fact-finding mission is an inaccurate "crock," Conservative Senator Michael Meighen said Wednesday.

"This report is factually incorrect and panders to the stereotype of the Senate that most of us are used to hearing," Meighen, one of the senators who went on the trip, told CBC News.

Members of the National Security Committee were supposed to travel to Afghanistan on a fact-finding mission after stops in London, Rotterdam and Dubai. More than 2,000 Canadian troops are part of a NATO mission in Afghanistan.

....

"We could not change our ticket without considerable additional expense," said Meighen, who said the senators worked on their report while spending the seven days days at the hotel.

He said a CTV News report alleging they spent upwards of $500 US per night at the posh Dubai hotel was incorrect, and that the rooms cost around $300 Canadian.

They did rent a meeting room for $500 per day, but that cost included meals, he said.

"This report is a crock. This thing is blown out of proportion," Meighen said Wednesday in an interview with CBC News.

CBC

I'm going to ignore the CTV leak and the anti-PM spin the Senators have chosen. I'll ignore the nonsensical idea that the Senators stayed in Dubai because they couldn't change their tickets. I'll even ignore the question of whether we need a Senate.

Instead, I wonder how much is $138,000? With 30 million Canadians, that's about half a cent from each one. That's frightening because it seems so small. Most Canadians lose at least a penny each year down a drain or in a lake somewhere. But if we could somehow collect each of those pennies, Kimmy would have a sizeable down payment on a big house in Edmonton. Instead, these four senators blew it on a pointless trip nowhere.

It might be better to think that 100 poor schmucks sent off their T-4s last year showing that they paid $1400 in federal tax. A senior unionized cashier in Provigo in Quebec probably earns around $30,000/year and depending on her family status, she probably pays about $1400 in federal tax.

I think she and about 99 other cashiers should each get a letter from the federal government stating that their tax payment was used to pay for 4 Senators to travel to Europe and Dubai on a "fact-finding mission". The 100 cashiers should get to see the same itemized travel claim that the Senators had to submit so they can see how their $1400 tax payment was used.

We have to stop government spending and we have to get governments to spend money on things that matter to us.

[bradco]

Toss the senate, and the monarchy while we are at it.

Where all the conservative on here? What happened to taking any chance to argue we need to "trim the fat"? A body that has no power and whose members collect huge salaries and spend lavishly are fat. Why are we sending senators on fact finding missions. Leave that to the MP's they are the ones voting on the mission.

[geoffrey]

Toss the senate, and the monarchy while we are at it.

Where all the conservative on here? What happened to taking any chance to argue we need to "trim the fat"? A body that has no power and whose members collect huge salaries and spend lavishly are fat. Why are we sending senators on fact finding missions. Leave that to the MP's they are the ones voting on the mission.

The Senate is minor fat and if reformed can provide valuable regional representation to a very Ontario/Quebec dominated government. It can be the uniting factor, eliminating that big ol' Western alienation.

[bradco]

Toss the senate, and the monarchy while we are at it.

Where all the conservative on here? What happened to taking any chance to argue we need to "trim the fat"? A body that has no power and whose members collect huge salaries and spend lavishly are fat. Why are we sending senators on fact finding missions. Leave that to the MP's they are the ones voting on the mission.

The Senate is minor fat and if reformed can provide valuable regional representation to a very Ontario/Quebec dominated government. It can be the uniting factor, eliminating that big ol' Western alienation.

blah...Id rather have legislation passed and not be stuck in deadlock. But I guess thats because I dont have any feelings of western alienation. Either way, a Harper government must counter this Ontario is out to get us mentality in Alberta, no?

[g_bambino]

The Senate is minor fat and if reformed can provide valuable regional representation to a very Ontario/Quebec dominated government. It can be the uniting factor, eliminating that big ol' Western alienation.

blah...Id rather have legislation passed and not be stuck in deadlock. But I guess thats because I dont have any feelings of western alienation. Either way, a Harper government must counter this Ontario is out to get us mentality in Alberta, no?

You'd seriously rather have all bills passed into law by the Prime Minister's signature after being voted through in the House? I hope you understand the very serious potential consequences we could easily face in such a situation.

[blueblood]

The Senate is minor fat and if reformed can provide valuable regional representation to a very Ontario/Quebec dominated government. It can be the uniting factor, eliminating that big ol' Western alienation.

blah...Id rather have legislation passed and not be stuck in deadlock. But I guess thats because I dont have any feelings of western alienation. Either way, a Harper government must counter this Ontario is out to get us mentality in Alberta, no?

You'd seriously rather have all bills passed into law by the Prime Minister's signature after being voted through in the House? I hope you understand the very serious potential consequences we could easily face in such a situation.

What consequence?, if the PM passes a bad bill his ass is history next election and the new governmet can scrap it. I think its a more serious consequence that APPOINTED people are law makers, that's not democracy that's an oligarchy and those senators are accountable to no one but themselves and by the way they spend our money they couldn't care less.

[g_bambino]

What consequence?, if the PM passes a bad bill his ass is history next election and the new governmet can scrap it. I think its a more serious consequence that APPOINTED people are law makers, that's not democracy that's an oligarchy and those senators are accountable to no one but themselves and by the way they spend our money they couldn't care less.

I refer you to the Enabling Act of 1933. Even in that instance there was a German President. In your theoretical Canada there would be no senatorial or executive check on the PM's ability to pass whatever law he wanted if he commanded a majority in the House.

[blueblood]

What consequence?, if the PM passes a bad bill his ass is history next election and the new governmet can scrap it. I think its a more serious consequence that APPOINTED people are law makers, that's not democracy that's an oligarchy and those senators are accountable to no one but themselves and by the way they spend our money they couldn't care less.

I refer you to the Enabling Act of 1933. Even in that instance there was a German President. In your theoretical Canada there would be no senatorial or executive check on the PM's ability to pass whatever law he wanted if he commanded a majority in the House.

Nice try with the fear mongering. Who's not to say the senate could be corrupt like that?, who would the senate answer to? I don't think in this day and age Canadians are gonna put a leader who would abuse his power like that. And the PM has the greatest check of all, the voting public. And even if that did happen, we have this thing called the RCMP to put a stop to that and even you know they don't answer to the ruling party, just look at all the RCMP investigations on the liberals. And your gonna have a nice time trying to convince me the RCMP is a politically corrupt organization.