British Columbia says it will not participate in the new process for selecting senators to sit in the Upper Chamber in Ottawa.
In a series of tweets and an accompanying statement issued early Thursday afternoon, B.C. Premier Christy Clark said “thanks, but no thanks” to the changes announced by the federal government.
Under the new rules, said Minister of Democratic Institutions, Maryam Monsef, an independent advisory board consisting of five members will be established to compile a non-binding list of five candidates for the prime minister to choose from when he needs to fill a Senate vacancy.
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Three will be from the federal level, Monsef explained, and two of the members will be ad-hoc picks from the province or territory where the Senate vacancy is being filled.
Clark was apparently unimpressed.
Clark has previously stated that she would not be opposed to abolishing the Senate, something that would require re-opening the Constitution.
The B.C. premier wasn’t the only one to come out against the Liberal plan on Thursday. The Canadian Taxpayers Federation, which strongly supports abolition, said the plan amounts to nothing more “than the proverbial lipstick on the pig.”
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