For many years discussions have taken place across the country. From what does the senate actually contribute to Canada to can we actually live without it?
Being a common sense conservative I will be the first person to state that I believe the time has come to disband the senate and it's un-elected officials. Sure we could have elected officials in the senate but then stand the chance that we would have a house and senate controlled by polar opposites much like in the States and end up with nothing being accomplished in a political gridlock that can last a generation. I do like to have checks and balances but is there really a way to accomplish this without a properly elected senate? Maybe a senate that is elected with no party affiliation, but you would still know where people sit before every voting for them and hence the same problem that the U.S. faces year in and year out.
Our provinces seem to make out just fine without senates and I would argue that maybe without the extra step that is the senate, government seems to become more efficient at running itself. We the people elected our MP's and MLA's to speak for us and we hold them accountable every 4 years, if they are not doing what we like, well you know what happens... The senate on the other hand, un-elected and unaccounted for which makes it a disease in of itself in the Canadian Constitution, a disease that we have an easy cure for. But the cure has it's side affects...
In order to abolish the senate you need to open up the constitution to reforms and there in lies the problem. We have too many groups within our nation that will want more perks tossed in that will cost the rest of Canada. Don't think for a second that Quebec will not want more out of equalization than they currently get, or that maybe Saskatchewan can fight and finally get non-renewable resources pulled out of the equalization math(and rightfully so as is the case in other jurisdictions), or natives wanting more land, Ontario wanting more representation... Well soon you see where this is going, it is a can of worms that I think will be hard to close.
There are constitutional lawyers throughout the country working on this as we speak, some for governments some for self interest groups and all ready to pounce at any given moment. Can the senate be abolished without opening the constitution, that will play out in the courts of the land as we move forward, most are under the assumption that you cannot reform without opening the constitution so abolishment seems to be the only path that "may" be able to be taken. Kind of strange that reform would be harder to accomplish than abolishment but who am I to argue with the political scholars, lawyers and judges?
It costs the Canadian public well over $100 million to run the senate every year, does not sound like to much in the grand scheme of things but over time it adds up and because they are not held to account it is my belief that it is time for it to go.
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Being a common sense conservative I will be the first person to state that I believe the time has come to disband the senate and it's un-elected officials. Sure we could have elected officials in the senate but then stand the chance that we would have a house and senate controlled by polar opposites much like in the States and end up with nothing being accomplished in a political gridlock that can last a generation. I do like to have checks and balances but is there really a way to accomplish this without a properly elected senate? Maybe a senate that is elected with no party affiliation, but you would still know where people sit before every voting for them and hence the same problem that the U.S. faces year in and year out.
Our provinces seem to make out just fine without senates and I would argue that maybe without the extra step that is the senate, government seems to become more efficient at running itself. We the people elected our MP's and MLA's to speak for us and we hold them accountable every 4 years, if they are not doing what we like, well you know what happens... The senate on the other hand, un-elected and unaccounted for which makes it a disease in of itself in the Canadian Constitution, a disease that we have an easy cure for. But the cure has it's side affects...
In order to abolish the senate you need to open up the constitution to reforms and there in lies the problem. We have too many groups within our nation that will want more perks tossed in that will cost the rest of Canada. Don't think for a second that Quebec will not want more out of equalization than they currently get, or that maybe Saskatchewan can fight and finally get non-renewable resources pulled out of the equalization math(and rightfully so as is the case in other jurisdictions), or natives wanting more land, Ontario wanting more representation... Well soon you see where this is going, it is a can of worms that I think will be hard to close.
There are constitutional lawyers throughout the country working on this as we speak, some for governments some for self interest groups and all ready to pounce at any given moment. Can the senate be abolished without opening the constitution, that will play out in the courts of the land as we move forward, most are under the assumption that you cannot reform without opening the constitution so abolishment seems to be the only path that "may" be able to be taken. Kind of strange that reform would be harder to accomplish than abolishment but who am I to argue with the political scholars, lawyers and judges?
It costs the Canadian public well over $100 million to run the senate every year, does not sound like to much in the grand scheme of things but over time it adds up and because they are not held to account it is my belief that it is time for it to go.
