Justin Trudeau says his government hopes to make legal changes that will cement his transformation of the Senate into a more independent, non-partisan chamber, making it harder for a future prime minister to turn back the clock.
The prime minister says his government will amend the Parliament of Canada Act B次元官网网址� the law that spells out the powers and privileges of MPs and senators B次元官网网址� to better reflect the new reality in the upper house, where most senators now sit as independents unaffiliated with any political party.
B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e going to try to make it fair,B次元官网网址� Trudeau said in a year-end roundtable interview with the Ottawa bureau of The Canadian Press. B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e going to try to do it before the election.B次元官网网址�
Doing it before next fallB次元官网网址檚 election is critically important for independent senators, who fear TrudeauB次元官网网址檚 reforms could be easily reversed should the Liberals fail to win re-election.
Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer has said that if becomes prime minister, he would revert to the previous practice of making overtly partisan appointments, naming only Conservatives to the upper house.
Trudeau kicked senators out of the Liberal caucus in 2014. Since taking office in 2015, heB次元官网网址檚 named only senators recommended by an armB次元官网网址檚-length advisory body in a bid to return the Senate to its intended role as an independent chamber of sober second thought.
Of the 105 senators, 54 are now independents who have banded together for greater clout in the Independent SenatorsB次元官网网址� Group. Another 31 are Conservatives, 10 are Liberal-independents and 10 are unaffiliated. The Conservatives are the only remaining overtly partisan group in the chamber.
READ MORE:
Yet the Parliament of Canada Act recognizes only two partisan caucuses in the Senate: the governing party caucus and the Opposition caucus, both of which are entitled to research funds, dedicated time to debate bills, memberships on committees and a role in the day-to-day decisions about Senate business, such as when to adjourn debate.
Senators have agreed on the fly to some accommodation of the growing ranks of independents, giving them some research funds and committee roles. But the leadership of the ISG has argued that their role must be explicitly spelled out and guaranteed in the Parliament of Canada Act. And, since the change would involve allocating financial resources, they say it canB次元官网网址檛 be initiated by the Senate, only by the government in the House of Commons.
Sen. Raymonde St. Germain, deputy leader of the ISG, said amending the act is the only way to give independent senators a B次元官网网址減ermanent voiceB次元官网网址� and to B次元官网网址渟ecure this essential reform for an independent and non-partisan Senate.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淭he reform that Prime Minister Trudeau very courageously announced and implemented B次元官网网址� has to be completed,B次元官网网址� she said in an interview. B次元官网网址淚t wonB次元官网网址檛 come from within the Senate. The only way to complete it, to have it finished, is to amend the Parliament of Canada Act.B次元官网网址�
Trudeau said heB次元官网网址檚 pleased with the way the reformed Senate has operated, even though independent-minded senators are now more prone to amending government bills, which has slowed down the legislative process somewhat and occasionally sparked fears B次元官网网址� unrealized thus far B次元官网网址� that the Senate could defeat legislation outright.
B次元官网网址淐anadians have been able to see the benefits and the thoughtful amendments and engagement theyB次元官网网址檝e had with bills in a way that I think has been very positive. I think removing partisanship in a significant way from the Senate has been good for our democracy, good for institutions,B次元官网网址� he said.
As for Scheer, Trudeau said: B次元官网网址滻f he really wants to go back to the kind of partisanship and patronage that we were able to do away with, well, thatB次元官网网址檚 something that heB次元官网网址檚 going to have to explain.B次元官网网址�
Just this week, however, Trudeau appointed two new senators with strong Liberal connections: a former Liberal premier of Yukon, Pat Duncan, and Nova Scotia mental-health expert Stanley Kutcher, who ran for the Liberals in the 2011 election and lost.
B次元官网网址淚 donB次元官网网址檛 think that membership in any given political party should ban them from being able to be thoughtful, independent senators who are not answerable to me but answerable to the values they have,B次元官网网址� Trudeau said, adding, B次元官网网址滻B次元官网网址檓 sure we have also appointed people whoB次元官网网址檝e donated to the NDP or donated to the Conservative party.B次元官网网址�
Conservatives have repeatedly questioned just how non-partisan the independent senators really are, noting that most seem to share TrudeauB次元官网网址檚 values B次元官网网址� a charge Trudeau did not deny.
B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 not going to pick people who are completely offline with where I think my values or many CanadiansB次元官网网址� values are,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址滱 future prime minister of a different political stripe will certainly be able to appoint people B次元官网网址� who might have a slightly different ideological bent. I think thatB次元官网网址檚 going to naturally happen in our system.B次元官网网址�
Nevertheless, he said the institution is better for the fact that most senators are not answerable to the prime minister and donB次元官网网址檛 sit in partisan caucuses B次元官网网址渢o plot political strategy.B次元官网网址�
Joan Bryden, The Canadian Press
Like us on and follow us on .
