REGINA – From questions about senators’ expenses to the controversy over the Prime Minister’s Chief of Staff gifting $90,000 to Senator Mike Duffy to end an audit, Canada’s Upper Chamber is under scrutiny. Now, a prominent Saskatchewan figure is speaking out.
“There used to be a saying…’what a senator wants, a senator gets,’” said Gordon Barnhart.
The former Saskatchewan Lieutenant Governor was also the clerk to the Senate from 1989 to 1994. He tried to implement changes, but to little avail. He said he’s seen first hand how unelected senators can take advantage of the system.
“I would say to senators, ‘You can’t do that. That’s immoral, illegal, unethical,’ and they’d say, ‘Well no, that doesn’t matter. We can’t be removed.’”
It’s that attitude that has the general public divided over Canada’s Upper Chamber.
“It would be nice if people were elected to Senate and not named because they happen to be friends with someone,” said one woman.
“I believe there should be more discussion about the Senate and maybe its validity now,” said another man.
But one University of Regina political science professor suggests we don’t even really need it.
“The idea senators actually represent the regions they come from is simply a constitutional ideal that didn’t pan out,” said Dr. Lee Ward. “We all know that provincial governments, premiers, and elected MP’s from different regions are actually much better representatives of their provinces.”
Ward added the Canadian Constitution is not easy to amend, requiring approval from seven provinces, a majority in the House of Commons and then the Senate itself would have to pass the motion.
Abolishing the Senate completely might be difficult to do. However, Ward said it’s been decades since he’s last seen this type of public pressure to force the Senate to be more accountable. It’s that public pressure which could push certain reforms, like terms on how long senators can sit, a better vetting process, and even allowing provinces to determine their own senators.
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