I was glad to see that the Senate shelved the Tory’ bill to set Senator’s term limits eight years. If this legislation were to pass, it could enable a long serving Prime Minister to appoint most and in an extreme case all of the Senators. This is the major reason behind the Liberal majority Senate decision to delay it. Without elected senators, the Tory bill does not make the Senate more accountable, but more of a puppet to the Prime Minister.
However, this is not a blog that supports elected senators. I have always stood my ground on this contested issue and despite having many characteristics from Alberta; this is one that I do not share. Elected senators will lead to delayed legislation, power politics between the house and the senate and most of all, Senators who focus more on being re-elected than on being the House of “sober second thought”.
Senators do a respectable job in committees, research and issue awareness and if they have to focus on being re-elected then their duty to Canadians become second to fundraising and campaigning. There is no better example than our neighbour to the south where Senators spend most of their time in office campaigning.
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