Editorial — Feds have better things to do

May 6, 2014 · 0 Comments

The Supreme Court of Canada last week effectively let the air out of Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s efforts to bring in massive reform to the Canadian Senate.
The Court ruled that the provinces would have to get a substantial say in any major reforms, and they would have to unanimously agree to have the body abolished.
While we can appreciate that the Prime Minister might be frustrated over this development, it probably works out for the best.
While the Senate might currently be in something of a proverbial doghouse owing to the actions and allegations regarding some of its members, we don’t believe that taking any serious action is a major priority with Canadians. There might be a desire to see some changes, but we don’t think many n this country are losing sleep over it.
There are other federal concerns that Canadians are concerned about, such as the economy, unemployment (especially among youth) and international issues that require the immediate attention of our leaders in Ottawa.
It is true that the Senate was established for a reason. Part of the reason was to help provide equal representation between regions of this vast country.
There are some who would like to see senators elected, but we have to wonder how many of them really want to see another level of elected politicians looking around for votes. As well, would not an elected Senate be in a position to supercede the House of Commons.
Others would like to see term limits imposed on senators, and there is probably merit to that.
If the government is really interested in reform, perhaps it should address its attention to the House of Commons. The idea behind an elected parliamentary chamber is voters send MPs to Ottawa to be their voice to the government, but there is a strong perception that the MPs serve more in the role of being the government’s voice to the people, and we think Canadians would like to see something done about that.