As the Senator spending scandal continues to dog Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his Conservative government this week, the calls for the outright abolition of the Red Chamber have, not surprisingly perhaps, grown louder and louder.
Considered by many to be nothing more than a gross expense shouldered by hard-pressed taxpayers and an out-of-date institution whose time has long passed, the Senate has few diehard supporters these days.
And while abolishing the Senate would take a constitutional amendment requiring the support of provinces and territories, it is at least possible. And even if it takes years to get the job done, it would be worth the effort.
The official Opposition NDP has renewed calls for the outright abolition of the Senate, with leader Thomas Mulcair calling it nothing less than “a bunch of party hacks, bagmen, political operatives and defeated candidates sitting in appeal of the decisions of the duly elected members of the House of Commons.”
“The real question is, in 2013, how can you possibly continue to argue to keep an institution of unelected people who have the power to reverse the decisions of duly elected members of Parliament. That's the fundamental discussion that we're having today,” said Mulcair.
While the Harper Conservative government would certainly shock the nation if it were to ever agree with anything suggested by Thomas Mulcair, Prime Minister Harper has at the very least said he believes that Senate reform is needed.
“We have heard from Canadians loud and clear,” said Harper. “They want us to continue our efforts. They are asking us to accelerate those efforts. The Senate status quo is not acceptable. Canadians want the Senate to change.”
The current scandal over Senator salaries will of course pass in time, as the public's interest moves on to other things and other concerns.
Yet as long as the undemocratic and vastly expensive Senate continues to have anything at all to do with Canadian governance, it will remain a sore spot with many, many Canadians.
Opposition calls for the end of the Senate won't bring about its demise. That will only happen when all the major parties come together to see it scrapped.
Unfortunately, as long as the Conservative, Liberal, and NDP MPs continue to put party politics first, as they always do, Albertans and every other Canadian taxpayer will continue to pay a heavy price to support the good-for-nothing Red Chamber.
Prime Minister Harper says, “Canadians want the Senate to change.” Actually, and with all due respect Mr. Prime Minster, they don't want it changed – they want it done away with once and for all.
