Democracy Gone Astray

Democracy, being a human construct, needs to be thought of as directionality rather than an object. As such, to understand it requires not so much a description of existing structures and/or other related phenomena but a declaration of intentionality.
This blog aims at creating labeled lists of published infringements of such intentionality, of points in time where democracy strays from its intended directionality. In addition to outright infringements, this blog also collects important contemporary information and/or discussions that impact our socio-political landscape.

All the posts here were published in the electronic media – main-stream as well as fringe, and maintain links to the original texts.

[NOTE: Due to changes I haven't caught on time in the blogging software, all of the 'Original Article' links were nullified between September 11, 2012 and December 11, 2012. My apologies.]

Monday, September 17, 2012

Senate reform should be decided by a referendum

The Conservative government’s theatrical move to kick out Iranian diplomats from Ottawa and pull ours from Tehran dominated headlines and op-eds for the past week. The other significant announcement which was made that same day, yet failed to garner as much attention, was Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s appointment of five new senators to the Upper House. The coincidental timing of the two was more likely strategic than arbitrary. A quick review of recent news coverage from print to TV and radio indicate the government was successful in changing the channel from the patronage appointments and, more importantly, the government’s commitment to Senate reform.

It would be a challenge to remember the last time a positive news story came out of the Senate. In the past two years alone, Canadians were once again reminded through a series of disconcerting events that the time has come to reform the Upper Chamber or better yet, in my opinion, abolish it all together.

The most recent story from the Senate surrounded Liberal Joyce Fairbairn who was deemed legally incompetent by a psychiatrist as a result of her battle with Alzheimer’s. Despite the knowledge of some party insiders, Fairbairn continued to attend meetings and voted along party lines until her niece wrote to Senate officials advising them that she can no longer attend meetings due to her deteriorating medical condition.

Just over a year ago, on March 11, 2011, Quebec Senator Raymond Lavigne was found guilty of fraud and breach of trust following a lengthy trial that dated back to events from 2006. The RCMP investigated Lavgine following allegations that he misused public funds from his office budget. Lavigne was expelled from the Liberal caucus after he spent $23,000 to have his office staff work on his personal estate and landscape a property he owned.

These incidents reinforce the public perception of a sense of entitlement among these members and the urgent need to fix a broken system. Then there are the “cooler” senators who make the headlines for being sugar daddies to twenty three year old blonds.

While these senators have reminded us for the need to clean up house, I would be remiss if I didn’t point out that there are many good senators who do admirable work exist and should be acknowledged for their public service. Many of these members of the upper chamber can be seen in action at committee proceedings and continue to be active on a daily basis in their local communities. But, the concept of appointing party insiders, fundraisers and defeated loyalist candidates is an outdated and unethical practice for a modern democracy like ours. The most recent appointments seemed to reward ethnic community leaders across the country who helped the Tories break new ground and slip into majority status during the last election. The government that once committed to reform the Senate and put an end to patronage appointments while on the opposition benches has now outdone its predecessors.

At one point in his political career Stephen Harper was passionate about reforming the Senate, but that priority has falled to the bottom of his government’s to do list. In fairness to the PM, he attempted to reform the Senate on several occasions during his minority governments, but that debate didn’t go anywhere. Now however, with a majority in both the Lower and Upper House and a strong public appetite to abolish the Senate, Harper has a historic opportunity to take action and get the job done.

Harper’s vision for Senate reform includes nine year term limits and elected members. The Senate Reform Act will still allow the PM to select Senators, however, those names would be from a list of nominees for each province.

The better solution would be to eliminate the Senate all together.

The main concerns for taking any action on the Senate have always been the fear of constitutional challenges and technicalities that may arise. There is also the inevitability of political battles with the provinces.

Most Premiers also have concerns — as they should — about fair representation and costs they may bear for holding elections to send Senators to Ottawa. Quebec has already challenged the government’s bill and this will only be exacerbated with a PQ government in power. While some oppose Harper’s proposed reforms, other premiers, like Ontario’s Dalton McGuinty, support abolishing the Senate.

Then there are the cost saving associated with eliminating this outdated, ineffective institution. It costs $100 million annually to operate the Senate, but at a time when government services are being slashed along with our public servants, Canadians expect politicians to lead by example.

The Senate debate has gone on for decades and no government has succeeded in resolving the matter. Nonetheless, governance is about tackling the difficult files and working with provincial partners to resolve our debates.

If we are going to re-open this debate we might as well do it right. The government should hold a referendum on abolishing the Senate during the next election and let Canadians decide its future once and for all.

Original Article
Source: ipolitics
Author: Michael Qaqish

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