Election reform

[FireFly]

Originally Posted by Bring_Back_Shantz

I would say that it is more of lack of desire to use it than a lack of ability to use it.

Since Senators are appointed on the PM's recomendation the whole house is full of party members with no desire to stop any legislation that the HOC passes. And if they do get riled up, the PM can just appoint more so that his party has the majority (as the exact number of senators is not defined in the constitution), that is what is wrong with the system.

Well, there's that too, but really, how would you feel about an unelected official deciding the laws in this country?

[rubecube]

Originally Posted by FireFly

Well, there's that too, but really, how would you feel about an unelected official deciding the laws in this country?

A bit like Americans must have felt when Bush got his first term.

[Bring_Back_Shantz]

Originally Posted by FireFly

Well, there's that too, but really, how would you feel about an unelected official deciding the laws in this country?

I'm not sure how that's relevant to the ability/desire debate.
The fact of the matter is if they really decided to, the Senate could go ahead and block any legislation that they wanted, but most of them were put in place by the prime minister (at least the current ones were when it was the Liberals running the joint) and they will vote however he wants.

Of course there is still the option for the current PM to elect more senators to get his agenda put through, but that is just another case of what I put in there. New senators, but same motivation.

[FireFly]

It undermines democracy. Those in the Senate are not representative. If they ever did decide to block something, it would undermine those that were elected to represent Canadians. Sure, on paper they have the ability to block stuff. They may even desire to do so. In practice, they know that to do it would force them to lose their cushy jobs because of the outcry that would ensue, causing real reform of the Senate.

It isn't just a matter of the Liberals putting in more Liberals in the Senate. That's purely patronage. The Conservatives could throw in 50 more Liberals and the Senate would still have it's hands tied because they still aren't democratically elected.

[Bring_Back_Shantz]

Okay, and once again that is pointing to a lack of desire to use their power, and has nothing to do with their lack of ability.
If all the Senators wanted to kill a bill they certainly could, but it might end up costing them their job (though not after a very lengthy process I'm sure), but the fact remains that what is stopping them isn't the fact that they can't do anything, it is that they don't want to do anything.

[Azure]

Originally Posted by rubecube

A bit like Americans must have felt when Bush got his first term.

Its too bad you can't say that anymore, eh?