Yes, many (most?) of the appointments are politically based but that's hardly surprising seeing as the Senate is a political body. The Senators I have dealt with are all people of great competence who take their work seriously and do a pretty good job on it.
The problem is not so much with the people in the Senate or their work but rather with the undemocratic way they are appointed to sit in a legislature.
In effect, the Prime Minister's recommendation for appointment is unfettered and is not limited by the strength or weakness of the sitting government. So presently the Prime Minister does not have the support of the House (he may do soon but he doesn't presently) and yet he can appoint Senators the same way as if he had a crushing majority.
And, leaving flip-flops aside, the problem is not just one of immediate politics. The Senate is overwhelming Liberal, far more so than elections would likely lead to. That's because of the same power Stephen Harper is using now. Liberal Prime Ministers appoint loyal Liberals (hello, don't forget me next time!!).
The solution is not to have an elected Senate -- consider the possibility of a Liberal House and a Conservative Senate, both elected and both with democratic legitimacy; who forms the government?
I hate to propose constitutional reform but this one is a no brainer -- keep the Senate but have the appointments made by an independent appointments panel much like that exists for judges in Ontario. That way we get the best people and no overtly political input.
Don Martin: A seasonal gift for 18 lucky lapdogs
Every time an election writ drops, Dave Penner says goodbye to his young family, hard wires an ear to his cellphone and hits the road as wagonmaster for the Conservative leader's 36-day campaign tour.His job covers everything from moving the buses on time, finding cranky reporters adequate filing space and ensuring the all-important Teleprompter is in place and working when the Prime Minister steps to the microphone. He's been a shadowy figure in backrooms dating back to Brian Mulroney's days, then working with Reform and Canadian Alliance MPs before linking his fortunes to Stephen Harper's entourage. He's as honest as they come, but is a slightly masochistic sports fan, being a Buffalo Bills fanatic. His reward for all that volunteer work was to be named the PMO's director of appointments in 2006. And that means there are 18 names on Dave Penner's Christmas list who on Monday will be granted job security for the rest of their working lives as Mr. Harper moves to stuff the Senate with Conservatives deemed worthy. While Big Dave juggles hundreds of appointments every year, these picks will be the most difficult and delicate because they represent the ultimate climb-down on lofty Conservative principle and, if chosen poorly, will be viewed as an obscene act of multi-million-dollar patronage.The rush of appointments has been spun in advance as necessary to beat any power-seizing, Liberal-led coalition from stacking the Senate with their partisan choices if Mr. Harper's government is toppled in the coming months. Yet it's another sad about-face for this prime minister, whose government is developing a habit of sacrificing fundamental principle or fiscal policy when confronted by the slightest pretext.
http://www.nationalpost.com/m/blog.html?e=fullcomment/archive/2008/12/18/don-martin-a-seasonal-gift-for-18-lucky-lapdogs.aspx
James Morton
1100 - 5255 Yonge Street
Toronto, Ontario
M2N 6P4
1 comment:
To Morton:
Sir the senators that you've talked to may very well be taking their jobs seriously,but they don't represent us the tax payers. How could they? They are appointed by the government of the day threw the GG.
I think that you would also agree with me that most Canadians don't even know who their senators are. The reason I think is simple. We never ever see them. It's not that they have to campaign for their seat.
If you're lucky enough to be appointed as a senator at the age of 30 you have it made. You will have a guarantee job of about 100.000$ plus for about 40 plus years. How many of us can say this? Not too many I would think.
People who say that our senators don't have much power,are completely wrong I think. When they could block or defeat any piece of legislation from our elected officials, they do have a lot of power. When they could return any legislation to our elected official with amendments, they do have a lot of power.
This is why I support an elected senate. For the life of me I don't understand why Liberals don't seem to support this also. My point is that the senate doesn't really represent us they represent the people who appointed them there. But I digress.
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