At Issue Feature Report - Harper's Senate Surprise

[Ruralta]

It doesnt matter if they are from Quebec or Saskatchewan or Manitoba or Nunavut as long as their next career stop is not a corporate board room. Representative democracy and media relating to it in modern times has been a cacophony of corruption.

Example:

1. Interest group develops agenda

2. Media contrives controversy

3. Politicians cover their elected asses or court favour to stay in business

This cycle is present in the U.S.

Senate reform would make this more prevalent in Canada also

[krisfehr13]

Susan Bonner needs a fist in the face.

[Coffee4011]

The Senate should be abolished. They work 72 days a year, get paid 130 thousand dollars a year, and that's not including perks. Nice to see exactly where Harper is interested in creating jobs during the economic crisis. Who says he doesn't care?

[mbb05jb]

is it like the house of lords in the uk? if it is, they are the ones who are more intelligent than the elected mp's

[Gillhoolee]

Yes & n, Our Senate is made up of everyone from hockey players to party loyalists.They are not elected. as our current PM wants.This is a veiled attempt at giving him a club with which to keep his members in check. Go against him and he could refuse to sign you're electoral papers next time around. Our Senate was designed the good of the Country not the party. If given his way he will succeed in duplicating our House of Commons and hamstringing our Government.

[thunderflash82]

u seem to be in a favour of a senate that isn't elected nor portionally represents canada. why does Newfoundland have as many senators as bc? why does atlantic canada have as many 4x the number of senators as alberta with the same population size. why does ontario only have 24 senators but is the largest province in canada?

i see no harm in proportional and elected representation of the senate. if that doesn't work, then abolition it all together.

[Gillhoolee]

Your right, I'm not in favour of an elected senate, for several reasons. Mr. Harper is not being honest about the changes he wants. Think of a Senator who needs his electoral papers signed by the PMO(as if itdoesn't have enough power now), where is the independent sober second thought? . Where is the onus to do what is right for the Country and not the region or the party. Harper's senate would be little more than an annex to the HofC.

[Gillhoolee]

I think the best bet is to recognize the National vote and award Senate seats accordingly to each party. Get 60% nationally appoint six out of ten Senators Not every one is electable but can still serve and serve well.Parties need the freedom to fill in gaps(even Harper used that option)This would counter a Majority Gov't with less than 50% of the popular vote-short and sweet with one less election to waste money on.Their terms could be for a max 12 years.

[OttoMaddock]

What kind of fucking lunatic would want to abolish the senate in Canada? From my understanding, there is no election for senators in Canada. Therefore, senators don't have to kowtow to the whims of the corporate interests that fund their re-election campaigns, like they do here in the USA. A Monarchy would be better than our system!

[Gillhoolee]

Not just that , Our Prime Minister would then sign their election papers- making them beholding to him and giving him "PUTIN POWER"!

He is class-A dork.

[thunderflash82]

buddy, our senate sucks. it's just a gravy train for failed politicians and party loyalists. unelected, they can sit as senators until they're 75.

[Gillhoolee]

I'm not saying don't alter it or limit terms, just don't change its mandate or purpose as Harper would have it. It is the 'upper house for a reason, it is to contain learned men with sound judgment and who are loyal to the Country above all else. The Senate does it's best work behind closed doors and in committee not standing on a soap box waiting for the PM's pat on the head.

[Gillhoolee]

They represent a cross section of Canadians,not just politicians(which they would become if they were elected)The're not unlike librarians when you think about it & you want to elect them? Hell I have a hard enough time knowing who my 'municipal gophers' are so screw Harper& his elections.lol

[Bestmountjoy]

EVOLVE~

Less gov't = better gov't. Witness our accelerating communist devolution. Clearly, burgeoning force-backed gov't is graduating extreme fascism.

Good gov't consists of ONLY:

~An objective judiciary, disallowing the default to initiatory force/threat/coercion against ANY individual or entity;

~Free-competition against crimes of above defaulters (mine outcompetes yours; obsolete fatties & RCMP, benefit the people paying);

~Volunteer forces, (improve on Swtzrlnd's.)

PRODUCE MORALITY; AWAKE!

[Gillhoolee]

The "old guys" snagged bill C-10- even with their poor eyesight they could spot Tory censorship in disguise.

[mabus]

First of all C-10 is in no way censorship. Freedom of speech does not include the right to leach off the taxpayers. If people wan't to make smut, let them do it on their own dime not mine.

Second of all, if it was censorship the Liberals and NDP would be in favour of it. Just ask Dion and Layton about the Section 13 of the Human Rights Act.

It's funny. The opposition considers Freedom of Expression to include the right to government handouts, but not the right express yourself freely.

[Gillhoolee]

Your Tories are simply screwing another o Canadian INDUSTRY,in favour of the yanks(it's that simple).

SMUT??- Those laws are already on the books to cover that crap. This is about one Minister having the right texcercise PERSONAL likes or dislikes inregard to 'co-signing movie productions, not funding the thing! - Banks don't loan funds to the industry at the best of times.So lets make it harder just for Cdns???

Canadian INDUSTRY DESERVES our support where ever and when ever possible!!!

[mashe13]

Senate is a good thing, and serves a purpose.

[thunderflash82]

what purpose is that?

[tmcroissant7]

Keep the Senate but make it proportional representation like Germany and New Zealand do.

[bjom77]

Thus if a Majority government were able to squeeze through legislation in the commons, the senate could hypotheticaly be full of that PM's parties people, and they would allow the legislation to be passed...and this will erode democracy!

[mabus]

Are you actualy saying that an elected government passing legislation is a threat to democracy?

[Gillhoolee]

Why is that hard to grasp? Is it any different than passing a law to abolish the Supreme Court?, after all they are not elected and are a mere branch of government.

[mabus]

Are you actualy saying that an elected government passing legislation is a threat to democracy?

[bjom77]

If we lose our senate (and unlected senate, but also not appointed by the PM) we lose the ability to halt a Majority Governments legislation if the Opposition parties are unable defeate it simply due to numbers. An elected senate would mean that all the back stage bribes, and deals that go hand in hand with politics would finaly be under the influence of political parties.

[bjom77]

The NDP are taking social libery to far in suggesting to remove our senate. The Upper House is part of a Parlimentary system and give Canada a chance to halt legislature passed by the Commons that is not in the best interest of Canadian peoples.

[Gillhoolee]

This just shows that Harper is not a TRUE CONSERVATIVE, Whats next the MONARCHY? This man has no LOYALTY and therefore no friends....boo hoo.

[ColtMcKenzieBelle]

Nah, I don't agree. Harper isn't stupid. What you see is not always what you get, I think. Harper knows that seven of our ten provinces will never agree to get rid of the Senate. I think he's using the NDP's proposal to bring attention to the issue in a big way, so as to help his fight for an elected senate.

[Gillhoolee]

Better look closer at Harpo's Senate idea. It will give even more clout to the PMO, kinda making him more like an "American Leader", and that is a scary thought.

[Yeldarb4]

Harper could never empower the PMO as much as Trudeau and Chretien did. They, particularly Pierre greatly enhanced the power of the PMO, which of course enhanced their own power. Your 'American Leader' remark is ridiculous because under the Brit. Parliamentary system a PM has way more power than the President of any republic.