The main focus of Stephen Harper right now is on the Senate. He has become the first prime minister in Canadian history to appear before a Senate committee as he tries to push forth a number of Senate-related bills to reform the Senate. The main focus of his appearance yesterday in front of the committee was to change the term limits of senators. Currently, once a senator is appointed they can stay in the Senate until they turn 75 which means if they are appointed when they're 50 they can serve a term of 25 years! Harper is looking to set a term limit where terms of 9 years for example are served which are not based on age or anything like that.
Harper and the Conservatives are taking aim at the Senate and its reform is high on the agenda for them. Besides term limits Harper is looking for an elected Senate to make it more democratic. The Upper House was originally initiated to promote regional representation at the federal level, however, it has become redundant as senators are just being appointed by the prime minister as spots become open. And, of course, when you have a Liberal or Conservative PM, they are going to appoint Liberal or Conservative senators. Maybe that's why Jack Layton is behind the idea of abolishing the Senate altogether. If the NDP has never had a government or PM in power obviously there are no NDP senators. He has no reason to want a senate, who know, besides the whole reason it was created.
The senate's responsibility is to provide more stable insight into legislation but now, if Harper's bill passes, with democratic legitimacy. I believe that the senate will be hugely successful if it becomes an elected senate with set term limits and it will no longer be a mirror of the House of Commons. I cannot understand anyone who does not wish for an elected senate because obviously the one we have now is neither efficient or effective. Layton wants to get rid of the Senate all together and the Liberals aren't too thrilled at the idea simply because the Senate is severely stacked in their favour.
We have the Liberals who want to keep the Senate the way it is because that means the Senate will go along with whatever the House says. We have the NDP who want to abolish the Senate because they will never come to power eliminating their chance at ever having a senator in their favour. And we have the Conservatives who have realized the problems of the Senate and have been trying to have an elected, effective senate since their days as the Reform Party back in the late 1980's. Maybe Layton will realize that if we have Senate elections there will be a chance to have some NDP senators in the ranks and lose his outlandish ideas of ridding us of the senate altogether.
The face of the senate in Canada has been under constant criticism especially since the 80's and finally after 13 years of Liberal rule we might actually be able to do something about it. So here's to Triple E Senate reform and all the good it may bring.
- DM
Harper and the Conservatives are taking aim at the Senate and its reform is high on the agenda for them. Besides term limits Harper is looking for an elected Senate to make it more democratic. The Upper House was originally initiated to promote regional representation at the federal level, however, it has become redundant as senators are just being appointed by the prime minister as spots become open. And, of course, when you have a Liberal or Conservative PM, they are going to appoint Liberal or Conservative senators. Maybe that's why Jack Layton is behind the idea of abolishing the Senate altogether. If the NDP has never had a government or PM in power obviously there are no NDP senators. He has no reason to want a senate, who know, besides the whole reason it was created.
The senate's responsibility is to provide more stable insight into legislation but now, if Harper's bill passes, with democratic legitimacy. I believe that the senate will be hugely successful if it becomes an elected senate with set term limits and it will no longer be a mirror of the House of Commons. I cannot understand anyone who does not wish for an elected senate because obviously the one we have now is neither efficient or effective. Layton wants to get rid of the Senate all together and the Liberals aren't too thrilled at the idea simply because the Senate is severely stacked in their favour.
We have the Liberals who want to keep the Senate the way it is because that means the Senate will go along with whatever the House says. We have the NDP who want to abolish the Senate because they will never come to power eliminating their chance at ever having a senator in their favour. And we have the Conservatives who have realized the problems of the Senate and have been trying to have an elected, effective senate since their days as the Reform Party back in the late 1980's. Maybe Layton will realize that if we have Senate elections there will be a chance to have some NDP senators in the ranks and lose his outlandish ideas of ridding us of the senate altogether.
The face of the senate in Canada has been under constant criticism especially since the 80's and finally after 13 years of Liberal rule we might actually be able to do something about it. So here's to Triple E Senate reform and all the good it may bring.
- DM
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