Not a Leader: Canadian Parliamentary News

For a century and a half, Canada’s Senate has been unelected and unaccountable. Unelected members can sit in the Senate for up to 45 years. It’s time for a change.

It’s time to democratize the Senate. It’s time to make Senators accountable to Canadians.

But the Senate is stacked with a big Liberal majority. They don’t want change. They like things just as they are. They say they’re entitled to their jobs.

That’s why Senate Liberals are delaying passage of S-4, the Conservative Government’s bill to cap Senate terms at eight years.

Will the Senate ever change? Will Stéphane Dion ever be a leader?

Solution

The Conservative Government has introduced two bills that would bring democracy and accountability to the Senate.

Bill C-43 would create a Senate election process to give all Canadians a say over who represents them in the Upper House.

But the Liberals are opposed to this bill. Bill S-4 would limit Senators’ terms to eight years, putting an end to virtual lifetime appointments.

But the unelected, Liberal-dominated Senate continues to block the bill, even though Stéphane Dion is on the record supporting term limits for Senators. Will the Senate ever change? Will Stéphane Dion ever be a leader?

Leadership by example:

When Prime Minister Stephen Harper was presented with his first opportunity to appoint a democratically-elected Senator he demonstrated leadership by example by announcing his intention to appoint Bert Brown.

Over 300,000 Albertans voted for Senator-elect Brown in the province’s 2004 Senate election. Watch the Prime Minister take his argument for reform directly to Senators.

Canada approves single-game bets!

On 17 February, the Canadian House of Commons voted to approve the Safe and Regulated Sports Betting Act of 2021. The bill regulating real money casinos still needs to be formally approved by parliament but overwhelming support from this body points towards an early enactment. With a majority vote in favor of Single Game Bets (currently illegal across Canada) it seems like we can expect rapid legislation signifying nationwide approval/federal recognition as well as federally regulated betting laws that are more lenient than those already enforced regionally.

Liberal Stalling

Bill S-4 is a simple three clause amendment to the Constitution Act that calls for Senate terms to be reduced to eight years from a maximum of 45 years. Here’s what it says:

• 29. (1) Subject to sections 30 and 31, a Senator shall hold a place in the Senate for a term of eight years.
• (2) Notwithstanding subsection (1) but subject to sections 30 and 31, a person holding a place in the Senate on the coming into force of the Constitution Act, 2006 (Senate tenure) continues to hold a place in that House until attaining the age of seventy-five years.
• 3. A reference to the Constitution Acts, 1867 to 1982 is deemed to include a reference to this Act.

The Bill was introduced on May 30. For an entire year, Liberal Senators have done everything in their power to delay it even though their own leader Stéphane Dion is on the record calling for limits to Senate terms.

The latest Liberal stalling tactic was to call for S-4 to be reviewed by every Premier, even though S-4 has nothing to do with the provincial administration.