Time for senate reform in Canada

LeBreton optimistic about Senate reform

The government leader in the Senate says she expects to see some Senate reforms passed into law in this session of Parliament.Conservative Senator Marjory LeBreton says she's optimistic a bill to limit appointed senators' terms to eight years can be passed. In an interview with CBC Radio’s The House, Conservative Senator Marjory LeBreton said she's optimistic that a House of Commons bill to limit appointed senators' terms to eight years can be passed.

Senators are technically appointed by the Governor General, although in practice appointments are always made on the advice of the prime minister.Prime Minister Stephen Harper achieved an absolute majority of Conservatives in the Senate with two new appointments last month. Harper has appointed 37 Senators since 2006, bringing the total number of Conservative Senators to 54 of 105.But despite longstanding promises, Harper has not yet made any changes to how the appointment process works.With their majority, Conservatives are better placed than ever to achieve their long-stated promise to reform the Senate, which they have argued is nothing more than an expensive venture in patronage.

Although she is hopeful about the term-limit bill, LeBreton is less optimistic that a second piece of legislation, which mandates that senators be elected provincially, will be passed any time soon."We feel we're on fairly good constitutional grounds," said LeBreton. "But I'd be dreaming in Technicolor if I thought this was doable in two or three months. Especially the Senate selection."That bill on Senate selection would require the prime minister to consider a list of provincially elected names when making appointments. But he would not be bound to choose only from the list.

Liberal Senator James Cowan, the Senate Opposition leader, said his party is not opposed to substantive Senate reform, but argues that any reform will require amending the constitution."For a significant amendment like that you require not only the approval of Parliament. You require the approval of seven provinces representing 50 per cent of the population," Cowan said. "Like it or not, [Harper] has to consult with the provinces. And that's been our position since I came to the Senate five years ago. "We're not obstructing anything, we're simply pointing out there is a document called the Constitution of Canada and you can't ignore that."

'Put it on the order paper'

Cowan also questioned how serious the Conservatives really are about Senate reform, pointing out that the term-limit bill has made no progress in the House of Commons."It just sits there," said Cowan. "If [the Conservatives] want to move it ahead, if it's a priority for them, they should put it on the order paper and have it dealt with. But they haven't done that."

When asked how she intends to use the Conservatives' new majority in the Senate, LeBreton says she will make an effort to rise above the partisanship displayed in the past by the Liberal majority in the Senate."The truth of the matter is we are all partisans and there's nothing wrong with partisanship," she said. " It gets out of hand on both sides at times. But I actually am going to try — and I have tried — to treat my opponents as I would have wanted to be treated, but was not, when we were in opposition.The Opposition criticized Conservative senators last fall for killing Bill C-311, an opposition bill on the environment.

But LeBreton argues the government had little choice but to bring down the bill when the Liberals called for an early vote on the draft legislation. She called that situation an "anomaly" that will not become common practice now that her numbers are even stronger."I fully intend to adhere to the tradition of sending all bills to committee," she said. "That is a very legitimate role for the Senate in studying bills, because Senate committees do have a good reputation of properly hearing all sides of the arguments."

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/politics/story/2011/01/08/senate-lebreton-reforms.html#ixzz1AT1T8Kd8