Should The Canadian Senate Be Abolished?

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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; Brooks & Menard, 2013). Concern has also ensued on whether or not specific reform ideas and other bills considering such reform are constitutional (Canadian Bar Association, 2012; Brooks & Menard, 2013). It is clear that scrutiny of the Senate is …show more content…

To elaborate, the Canadian Senate has evolved from having a mere 72 seats to now having 105 seats, encapsulating the equal representation. 24 Senators are appointed from the Maritimes, Ontario, Quebec and the Prairie Provinces, while 6 are chosen from Newfoundland and Labrador, and 1 Senator from each territory make up the Senate. (Brooks & Menard, 2013; Docherty, 2002; Mintz, Close, & Croci, 2013). While this may not seem democratic, it has been found that the Senate is more representative than the elected House of Commons (Lawlor & Crandall, 2013). If there were elected Senators, they would analyze legislation on behalf of the constituents they represent, rather than looking at the legislation with government influence (Brooks & Menard, 2013). An elected Senate would drive it further to abolition. The Senate should also not be abolished as it does provide a second opinion on issues, or legislation sent through the House of Commons. Although they serve as a ‘review’ group, it is uncommon for Senators to be discordant regarding proposed legislation (Cornell, 2014; Lawlor & Crandall, 2013). In addition, Senate committees are tasked with reviewing the legislation which needs to be passed, while also providing reports in areas like business and social investigation (Lawlor & Crandall, 2013). Next, the Senate should not be abolished considering deliberations about abolishing the Senate cannot be agreed on. To explain, Carver (2013) outlines the perspectives of the Prairie Provinces regarding the abolishment of the Senate by a vote under the ‘7 + 50 rule,’ while the remaining seven provinces believe that the vote should be unanimous. If the abolition process can not be agreed on, the Senate should not be

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