The Canadian Senate has been an institution of the country since the multiple negotiations that made possible the establishment of the federation. As stated by section 17 of CA 1867, Canada is to have a Parliament comprising a House of Commons (lower house), a Senate (upper house), and the Crown. The Senate was thought of as a chamber of ‘second thought’ for legislative proposals from the lower house. Its main tasks were defending the right to property of the rich minority – which is why, as per section 23 of CA 1867, a senator has to possess a certain amount of wealth in a territory to be able to represent it – and paying special attention to the needs of the less populated provinces. However, from the parliamentary institutions aforementioned, …show more content…
Even after the amending formula was added to the Constitution in 1982, fundamental reforms to the Senate – such as its democratization – have proven to be challenging, since there must be significant federal-provincial agreement on all the required constitutional amendments. The failed Meech Lake Accord of 1987, the rejected Charlottetown Accord of 1992, and more recently, the unsuccessful attempt by PM Harper in 2011 to pass legislation that “would have created consultative provincial elections for the selection of senators and set term limits” are testimonies on how much effort, support and political will is needed to reform the colonial institution (Thomas 2019). Nevertheless, in 2016, PM Justin Trudeau’s decision to introduce a new procedure for the appointment of senators (through the Independent Advisory Board for Senate Appointments) allowed us to contrast an “old, partisan, government-controlled” Senate with a “new, non-partisan, independent”
The Canadian Senate is continuously called into question as reform becomes increasingly popular among members of society who question its validity. Originally created to provide a “sober second thought” on the House of Commons, the Senate is meant to introduce and vote on legislation (excluding money bills) and provide protections for provincial rights. Senators are chosen by the Prime Minister, but appointed by the governor general, usually along party lines; “almost all senators have declared loyalties
The Canadian Senate is a distinct legislative body that differs from other administrations of government. Its role of careful analysis as well as deliberation within the government is fundamental to democracy as it ensures progression of government initiatives. However, controversy of the functionality of the Senate lingers regarding its position as a “sober second thought” representing the general Canadian population in government action (Mintz, Close, & Croci, 2013; Canadian Bar Association, 2012;
The Senate is a body of parliament in which bills are passed. The senators in this body of government are appointed by the Governor General with the advice from the Prime Minster and are permitted to stay in office until the age of 75. The senate is a highly contested topic with the political parties and the Canadian public. One of the problems argued, is the bias that some senators may have based on their affiliation with a particular party. This is important because they are allowed to stay in
existence of the Senate Recently, the Canadian society is controversial about the existence of the Senate due to the scandals about expenses. In this essay, it will discuss the importance of reforming the Senate. The Senate asks too much money from the people which are unfair. People are willing to keep the Senate as long as the members represent their provinces’ local interest, having the same seats and elected by the people instead of the Prime Minister. To keep the Senate costs too much
The idea of a Triple E senate did not come into play until the legislation was passed under Pierre Trudeau about the National Energy Program (NEP) due to the energy crisis the 1970s. This was a welcome change for the eastern provinces, but created tension from Alberta with its natural resources, and became unpopular in the whole of western Canada, creating the idea of ‘western alienation.’ (Canada needs triple e reform, 2013) With the NEP, Alberta began to quickly call for changes in the federal
In 2012, the Canadian Senate became embroiled in a scandal that is still ongoing, and still having an effect on Canadian political life today. At times in the 20th century, there have been calls for the reform, or even the abolition of the Senate completely. The current scandal has resulted a renewal of the frequent calls for reform that have frequently accompanied the many questionable actions of Senators. The structure of the Senate, and its outdated rules of appointment and procedure are also
A reformed senate should reflect Canadian’s diversity, moreover better representing minority groups such as aboriginals and women (3). As it is now, most of the Canadian Senate is comprised of older, white men, however as Parliament is the body that represents Canada, it should be held at a higher standard (3). A proper proportional representation system would provide greater opportunities for smaller parties, minorities and women to win senate seats, which is very crucial in reflecting Canada.
Senate reform in Canada has been a popular topic for decades but has yet to be accomplished. Since the Senates formation in 1867 there has been numerous people who call for its reform or abolishment due to the fact it has not changed since its implementation and does not appear to be fulfilling its original role. An impediment to this request is that a constitutional amendment is needed to change the structure of the Senate, which is not an easy feat. Senate reform ideas have developed from other
Memorandum to Cabinet – Senate Reform Issue: After several informal reforms, has the time come for the final push to Senate Reform? Recommendations: It is recommended that - No further advances to be made with Senate reform or abolishing the Senate. - Avoid opening up the constitutional can of worms that is Senate reform. - Not to pursue a radical wholesale change to our representation system. - Avoid such large changes that could result in unforeseen circumstances. Rationale: - Section 42 of
Triple E Senate of Canada Public interest in the Senate is currently stronger than it ever has been. Nearly everyone agrees that our present Senate is unsatisfactory. Political parties such as the New Democratic Party want the outright abolition of the Senate while others such as the Reform Party want to elect it. Since the Senate has not been considered an effective forum for regional representation- which was one of the reasons for its creation-many Canadians have wondered what reforms would allow
that many of the Fathers of Confederation including, The Right Honourable Sir John A. Macdonald did not believe that a federal system would be operable and consequently opposed it in favor of a unitary government. Two very important sections of the Canadian Constitution are sections 91 and 92. These sections deal with the specific responsibilities of the federal and provincial governments. The major contribution of the British North America Act, 1867 to Canada’s
Regionalism is a political ideology based on a collective sense of place or attachment, and is discussed in terms of Canadian society, culture, economy and politics (Westfall, 3). Canada is known internationally as a nation incorporating several multiregional interests and identities into its unification of culture. Its diverse population is comprised of numerous ethnicities, religions, sexual orientations and traditions; and all resides under one federal government. Ever since the founding of Canada
studied the importance of the Senate. Through conflicts and debates we have seen the world come to question whether Senates should be reformed or completely abolished. However, most of us don’t quite understand the purpose of Senates and what they actually achieve in our parliamentary system, instead we argue about why Senates get paid such a remarkable amount, and they do absolutely nothing of importance. Senates are part of the two legislative houses in the Canadian Parliament, which also includes
There are Canadian citizens who thought that the Canadian government we have is perfect, citizens who believed that every aspect of the government was truly democratic, and citizens who believe that government could do no wrong. Truly this group of believers has been living a lie. In our Canadian system of government, large aspects within are far from democratic and need to be changed. Liberal-minded people will cry out for a change in order for government to serve the people better, and on the other
The Canadian constitution is bereft of democratic legitimacy; an alluring term for political democratic deficit. Over the past years, the unsuccessful attempts to reform its laws have made passing new bills and regulations almost an unreachable goal for every newly elected prime minister. This inflexibility in adapting new laws made the fundamental principles of the Canadian constitution knew only few reforms. The lack of democratic accountability in the Canadian parliamentary democracy is demonstrated