Sitting in the faculty lounge I noticed a copy of R. MacGergor Dawson's fine 1949 text "Democratic Government in Canada".
Curious about what he said about the Senate I re-read the brief chapter. It outlined the problems of patronage appointments and the lack of respect the Senate had. He explained how the Senate was established to protect provincial rights but had failed in that task. He concluded by saying Senate reform was hard because too many vested interests supported its current form. The opposition often said it would reform the Senate but once in power found it convenient as a 'reward for duty faithfully performed'.
He closed by saying:
"The Senate will in all likelihood continue to exist as at present constituted for many years to come, not because of any high esteem in which it is held, but largely because if its undoubted convenience to the dominant political party and the general indifference of the Canadian people".
Sixty years since the words were written and they remain cutting edge today.
Will the Senate remain, unchanged, in 2068?
2 comments:
Good find!
That's a great observation by him!
Like many attempted constitutional or procedural reforms to Canadian parliamentary democracy, political advantage always seems to overpower what is right. I think we're seeing a lot of that being reflected in Harper's approach to the populist ideals of his Reform roots. First he ignores his own fixed election date law, and now he's backtracking on senate reform again for his own political advantage.
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