One aspect of the insidious nature of the Senate is its consistent ability to survive when nobody likes it much.
It’s a lot like William Lyon Mackenzie King in that regard. Like the Senate, no one ever knew what King was up to. For years at a time he didn’t seem to accomplish much. He was just always there, and when it came election time he had the ability to get re-elected. Voters probably didn’t even know why they were voting for him, it just seemed inevitable that he should still be prime minister.
Same with the Senate. The last known Senate enthusiast was spotted hiking through the Sheep River gorge in Alberta in the early 1950s and hasn’t been heard from since. He’s either dead, or still amused that the Senate can’t be gotten rid of without a constitutional change that is impossible without gagging the provinces and locking them in a closet.
The NDP is discovering this. John Ivison explores the possibility of an NDP government that finds itself without a single member in the Senate. How do you pass legislation when all 105 senators aren’t members of your party? The NDP got itself into this position by 1. Never being in power, and 2. Disdaining membership in the Senate anyway, probably beacause it expected #1 would always be true.
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McParland: The Senate, as Canadian as Mackenzie King, as permanent as the Rockies,
The ndpq might wish they had voted for term limits for senators.
Tommyboy will never be PM with a majority govt, and the Senate will be their to follow the practice of the ndpq, oppose everything.
There is one small problem with Senate term limits Mary T, check the Canadian Constitution, it is very specific.
I know about the limits, age 75 is the only one. Whether voting for the term limit would have made changes is beside the point. Tommyboy voted no, along with smilingjack.
The PM has 15 new senators to appoint before 2015, a couple from Que. Is that why he talked to Brian, for suggestions, or to ask if he wanted one of those positions. Media types have been giving their opinions on why they met, so I offer mine. lol
Your knowledge is incomplete Mary T, the Constitution says
Senators are, as clearly stated in the Constitution of Canada, appointed for life or until the age of 75.
Isn’t that what I said, re age 75 they must retire. And that means, they are there till that age, unless they die or retire on their own before that age.
I was refering to your “The ndpq might wish they had voted for term limits for senators.” comment Mary T.
As much as the Senate may need reforming the Harper government cannot change the constitutional requirement that Senators are appointed for life, or until the age of 75, by simple legislation for term limits. It requires a constitutional change via the existing ammendment formula – that being identical resolutions passed by the HoC, the Senate, and 2/3rds of the provincial governments representing at least 50% of the Canadian population.
In these times that will not happen.