Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community - View Single Post - The Senate - Abolish - Reform

Jacks · 06-11-2015, 01:40 PM

Lot of talk about the Senate these days, it seems almost certain that it will be a major election issue. There are many viewpoints as to what we should do with the Senate and the major parties will be putting forward options in the next few months.

Abolition:
This is the position of a lot of Canadians. The Supreme Court has ruled that abolishing the Senate would require the unanimous consent of all 10 provinces. Since several provinces don't want it abolished this seems destined to fail and would probably just become another Meech Lake mess of constitutional talks. Personally I don't agree with abolition except as a last resort.

Reform:
There are many sorts of reform that have been proposed.
- Elected Senators.
- Term limits of 8-12 years.
- Having appointments made by a board of prominent Canadians or by the provinces.
- Regional balancing.

I personally think senators need to be elected during fixed federal elections. I would like a term of 8 years with no term limits. 1/2 of the senators could be elected each time so that the current will of the people is reflected in the Senate but we still have long term stability and the Senate isn't beholden to the current incumbent party. I would also like to see the Senate regionally balanced with each province getting 10 senators and the Territories getting 5 senators each.

I don't agree with shifting the appointments to some sort of board or to the provinces. No matter who is appointing senators that still leaves the entire process open to partisan games, cronyism and patronage. Taking the power from the PM and giving it to the Premiers makes no sense to me.

Leave it as is:
Some people don't think it is worth the effort to reopen the constitution, I can see their point since any reform is likely to fail miserably.

IMO we need a strong, legitimate Senate serving as a check on power for a majority government.

What's your preference?

It would be nice if we could have a referendum in October.

06-11-2015, 01:40 PM	#1
Jacks Franchise Player Join Date: Mar 2011 Exp:	The Senate - Abolish - Reform - Leave it alone? Lot of talk about the Senate these days, it seems almost certain that it will be a major election issue. There are many viewpoints as to what we should do with the Senate and the major parties will be putting forward options in the next few months. Abolition: This is the position of a lot of Canadians. The Supreme Court has ruled that abolishing the Senate would require the unanimous consent of all 10 provinces. Since several provinces don't want it abolished this seems destined to fail and would probably just become another Meech Lake mess of constitutional talks. Personally I don't agree with abolition except as a last resort. Reform: There are many sorts of reform that have been proposed. - Elected Senators. - Term limits of 8-12 years. - Having appointments made by a board of prominent Canadians or by the provinces. - Regional balancing. I personally think senators need to be elected during fixed federal elections. I would like a term of 8 years with no term limits. 1/2 of the senators could be elected each time so that the current will of the people is reflected in the Senate but we still have long term stability and the Senate isn't beholden to the current incumbent party. I would also like to see the Senate regionally balanced with each province getting 10 senators and the Territories getting 5 senators each. I don't agree with shifting the appointments to some sort of board or to the provinces. No matter who is appointing senators that still leaves the entire process open to partisan games, cronyism and patronage. Taking the power from the PM and giving it to the Premiers makes no sense to me. Leave it as is: Some people don't think it is worth the effort to reopen the constitution, I can see their point since any reform is likely to fail miserably. IMO we need a strong, legitimate Senate serving as a check on power for a majority government. What's your preference? It would be nice if we could have a referendum in October.