[Crazy Bacon Legs]

I don't actually want an elected Senate. I prefer a Senate appointed on principal and thought, rather than political patronage.

My personal opinion on the matter: vacancies in the Senate should be filled by agreement between the three main party leaders. They should personally meet in a private, non-contentious forum and the Prime Minister should submit a list of potential candidates. They would then agree on candidates unanimously, and forward those recommendations to the Governor General, who would appoint their joint candidate. And if nobody on the list passes the smell test, the PM goes back to the drawing board, gets a new list, and they continue selecting.

I believe this will have the following effects: Nominees will not be extreme in any sense, as candidates too far left or right (or party hacks) will be rejected out of hand. Nominees will tend to be of rather high quality. It is my firm belief that when the parties all know they must cooperate and unanimously agree on candidates, they will only choose relatively well educated, non-partisan candidates that will work hard and be worth of respect.

We could then also have these new Senators sit in the Senate without a party designation, as they would be selected by all the major parties. The people of Canada would also have very little to complain about, and might actually develop some respect for the institution.

Most of the issue people have with the Senate is because of what it has become; not what it could be if managed properly.