Quebec opposes elected senate

Leafless · December 14, 2006

"Quebec - Premier Jean Charest said Thursday Quebec is opposed to Prime Minister Stephen Harper's proposl for an elected Senate, calling it a “radical change.”

Charest said Quebec agrees with Harper's proposal to limit the terms of senators to eight years, but he noted that Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Benoit Pelletier told a Senate committee hearing in September “the Quebec nation” could not accept a unilateral change affecting the balance of power within the Canadian federation such a the election of seantors."

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Here is the Quebec nation notion again, when Quebec at confederation agreed Canada was a 'single nation'.

I find it strange Quebec and Ontario both have 24 senators each, yet Ontario's population is significantly higher meaning Ontario is under represented.

http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news...ed01acb&k=82452

watching&waiting · December 14, 2006

Of course the Quebec government will not agree to elected sentate, as the next steps will be proportional representation and thta will reduce the power of the government. They want all the good things about senate reform but not the lesser or bad things.

Canada is one nation in my view and I can see that we have to keep open the ability to keep moving to proportional representation. Even though we have given Quebec nation status within the united nation of Canada, the quebec government will seek to push that envelope to its outermost positions. Anything that would define the powers of all the provinces would not be good for Quebec as they will wish to obscure the powers they have, so as to be able to push for greater powers then they have. The elected senate would clearly define things and that again is not in their best interests.

We see a dangerous little game being played with Quebec and it will sooner or later either blow up in our faces or the separtists will lose most of their power. The trouble is that the odds right now are on the Blowup in our faces more then powerless Separtists.