CFN– My understanding of our Senate in Canada growing up was that it was the somber house of last resort; a check to the balance of whatever laws elected officials in Parliament tried to ram through.
We of course need a Senate to balance the vagaries of partisan political aspirations in Canada, but somehow we got lost, or at least were told enough times that we go lost.
The Senate system here allows the ruling party to load or stack the Senate as seats open. It’s a pricey house and there will always be some flavour of partisanship.
My feeling is that our PM Stephen Harper, stacked the deck with candidates that he knew would fail or certainly were easy targets. None of them were long term MP’s; in fact two of them were from the hated media!
The focus of the Conservative Senate Scandal’s under the Harper government really do take the focus away from the purpose of the Senate. So after much navel gazing I have a plan.
It’s pretty simple as most great plans are. It all comes down to the goals or agenda. My goal in creating this plan was to create a group that would be made up of experienced MP’s. That to be a Senator in our Great Country you would have had to serve as a MP for at least 15 years.
That’s not an easy task, but any politician that can manage that most likely is not a party stooge; and most likely has had a productive career in politics.
As seats became available in the Senate those that qualify and wish to be a Senator would be added chronologically. No more partisan gifts. Likewise a Senator could not draw their MP pension while serving as a Senator.
Think about this for a moment. Think deeply about the ramifications of switching to this type of system?
The only negative I can think of is that we might not have a full Senate at times , but think about how MP’s would be forced to behave looking forward? They’d have to balance their party loyalty with their constituents because they would have more to lose by being voted out.
Likewise the Senate wouldn’t necessarily be filled with white haired party hacks. A young person who was elected around the age of 30 could technically be a Senator as early as the age of 45. What we would be doing is creating a house of people that had proved over the test of time that they were good sound leaders. Likewise an Independent or MP from a weaker party would not be excluded for doing a good job in their riding. After 15 years they qualify as a Senator as soon as a seat is available.
The ramifications of this across the board in how we govern would be impacted. And no matter what the majority, some of the potential damage that can be done with partisan laws, no matter which flavour, could possibly be prevented.
See, there are simple solutions to complex problems sometimes. Eradicating the Senate is not a just or intelligent solution; nor is having an elected Senate. All that does is just create a second elected body with all that comes with that.
Somber, experienced hands at the helm are rarely a bad thing whether they be gloved in Blue, Red, Orange, Green, or any other colour.
What do you think Canada? You can post your comments below.
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Politicians are there to make money and gain power no matter how old or young they are. Pamela Wallen and Mike Duffy are journalists and are well to do including others and ripping off the tax payers. I trust in none of them.
Pamela Wallen and Mike Duffy WERE journalists. Once brought to the trough (Senate) they couldn’t help but pig out on the Canadian taxpayer, along with Patrick Brazeau.
If there is to be a senate then they should be elected. Most of the time I say get rid of them all since they go into that line of work to pig out and steal our money. There used to be that doctor who used to do the heart surgeries here in Ottawa at the Civic Hospital Dr. Wilbur Keon and he went into the senate and you wonder why when his experience and knowledge as a doctor is a great deal more important and useful than going in as a useless senator that falls asleep on the chair all day. We need people who will work for the Canadian people instead of these useless eaters.
Dr. Wilbert Keon retired from the Senate in 2010 upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 75. He was one of the few senators that actually did what was required, serve the people of Canada.
Dr. Keon founded the University of Ottawa Heart Institute at the Ottawa Civic Hospital and acted as its CEO for more than thirty years until his retirement from that job in 2004. In 1986, he was the first Canadian to implant an artificial heart into a human as a bridge to transplant. He retired as a working doctor and resigned from the Ontario College of Physicians and Surgeons in June 2010.
Let’s hope the days of appointing party hacks and bag-persons to the Senate are over. The one positive thing about the current scandal, which is far from over, is that it has shone a bright light on the appointment system now in place. I think an all-party committee should be established to choose future senators. One of the problem with an elected Senate is that most people qualified for the job are not politicians or political animals who are interested in jumping into election campaigns.
You sure do have a point Furtz. We knew who Wallen and Duffy were as well as Marc Harb. Marc Harb is one that my husband knows personally and is from his country and is not what he tells the people who he is. When we came back to Ottawa we met his cousin.
About Dr. Keon he would have been more beneficial being a teaching doctor (a professor of medicine) than to be a senator. Yes he worked for the Canadian people but with his knowledge and expertise he would have been better use to teach young doctors what he knows. My daughter and I just came back from a specialist (a doctor) and there was a young intern (a girl) in the office learning. We need doctors badly and as for senators they are all party toers and not much else. I personally would like to see people who could really work for the people and not be liars and cheats like what we all have experienced so far. We all have had more than enough of all of them. We need huge changes and not more of the same crap.
Who cares about the Senate after this jerk’s new job was announced?
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pQAWOCofXo#t=19
@Jules You seem to be missing all the calls for an apology to Peter Jenkin
As for Dr Keon we must no forget his stopping to get “traffic directions” from a girl in Ottawa
See Jules when you want to find out the truth a little digging is all you need..Now an apology that takes a person with class,a moral compass and some human compassion…
What say you Jules??? You can’t just walk away from your comments!!!!!!!!
Ottawa Citizen
Renowned heart surgeon Wilbert Keon resigned abruptly yesterday as director general of the University of Ottawa Heart Institute, which he founded, and called a temporary halt to performing surgery, after an encounter with an undercover police officer posing as a prostitute
Melman I do not apologize to anyone because I have nothing to apologize for when people attack me I attack back. I do not know any of you at all. A lot of you jump on my case and I don’t go running to others nor attack you unless I am attacked.
About Dr. Keon there was something some time ago about him but I didn’t know what it was. People were talking but after all this time I never gave it a thought. This is a very highly intelligent man and like a lot of people he sure stumbled. Dr. Keon should have kept his self respect and would be able to teach what he knows.
Never attacked YOU jules old girl
Just suggested you had no proof against the Mayor and that publishing your “theories” it might reflect poorly on Jamies run for a better Cornwall
Then you started calling me names and stating I must be a member of the Cornwall Clique
Might I suggest you are part of an OTTAWA conspiracy theory
Peter
Apologizing isn’t really that hard…just try it ONCE Jules
Mr Jamie
Found it really sad watching CBC Fifth Estate show on Sen Mike Duffy
Even his old journalist pals don’t have much good to say about him
Seems that his only goal for about 40 years was to make it into the Canadian Senate
Wonder what the lure was for Duffy…feeling like being in that group made him closer to being
King of Canada OR that they had the best Pension and Perks of any job in Canada
Kinda sad really spending all that time trying to worm his way into the job only to have the
Steven Harper hatchet cut him loose at the first sign of a scandal
@Jules when I go to church tomorrow night a candle will be lit for you
Hope you don’t mind just thought it might bring some peace into your life
Why would I do this..Well God loves everybody and I try to follow his lead
BUT you continue to call people like Peter names and print comments like the one below
Are you suggesting Marc Harb is “faking” his identity or is an undercover sleeper agent??????
“my husband knows personally
and is from his country
and is not what he tells the people
who he is”
@Jules in Heaven’s name what are you trying to say PLEASE????????????????????????
Peter Jenkins we all know what Bare Ass is about and it is all over the net about him. About Jamie he is the best person that went to Cornwall in a mighty long time and is not there for just his own benefit but is there to make things better both for himself as well as for the people. We haven’t seen a good mayor since the days of Mayor Horowitz back in the 50’s era and Jamie is a little like that man – not entirely but a little where he wants to make the people aware of what is happening around them unlike Bare Ass hiding everything and knowing what is going on.
If more people in Cornwall and elsewhere were like Jamie then this world would not be so upside down as what it is today. I can’t give enough credit to Jamie and he is the best that Cornwall has and it is the truth. Too many people are stuck in “Stockholm syndrome” look up the term and you will know what I mean and they continue to want to be kicked around and ride on the coat tails of those that do them harm. As for conspiracy theories no I am not a conspiracy theorist but one that knows facts. People have to wake up before everything is gone whether it be Cornwall, our Canada or anywhere else in the world.
@ Claudette. Duffy was a high-flying superstar TV personality for many years. He made more $$$ in one year than most of us make in ten. Too bad his Mom didn’t teach him to save for a rainy day.