FACE TO FACE: Should Canada's Senate be reformed or eliminated?
In its current form, Canada's Senate has no teeth. Under the constitution, senators have the power to amend and/or veto any bill emanating from the House of Commons. But because of their non-elected status, Canadian senators rarely veto.
So, in essence, we are gifting 105 patronage appointees $132,000 a year to simply proof-read legislation. It's one of the most sickening displays of government waste in Ottawa today.
I'm sure if Stephen Harper had his druthers, he would have the Senate abolished. But abolition requires constitutional reform and I doubt Canadians have the appetite for another round of Meech Lake or Charlottetown.
Instead, the Conservatives are aiming to create a triple-E Senate - one that is elected, equal and effective - in measured steps.
The first step is an elected Senate, which will happen once the Conservatives pass Bill C-7, the Senate Reform Act, which would have provinces elect senators for nine-year terms.
Senator Bert Brown, who is spearheading the changes on behalf of the Harper government, says the next set of legislative actions will include a stand-alone constitutional amendment and a simple but powerful override process that would maintain the supremacy of the House of Commons.
"Our override is a straightforward three-step process that would apply when a simple majority of the Commons passes a bill," he recently wrote in an article. "If the Senate chooses to veto a bill, it could only do so with the support of a majority of senators from each of seven out of 10 provinces representing 50% of the population."
This measured approach towards reform is what is needed because the Senate, in its current form, is a joke.
We have the Conservatives and Liberals flying senators around the country - at taxpayers' expense - to simply campaign for their parties.
The prime minister's largest financial donor, his campaign manager and his fundraising chair have all recently been appointed to the upper chamber.
We are shelling out over $100 million a year on this dumping ground for the favoured cronies of the PM.
We can't get rid of the Senate but we can reform it.
Andy Radia is a Coquitlam resident and political columnist who writes for Yahoo! Canada News and Vancouver View Magazine. He has been politically active in the Tri-Cities, having been involved with election campaigns at all three levels of government, including running for Coquitlam city council in 2005.
