The 2015 Canadian Federal election is fast approaching and
there is a huge issue on the table that will change the very structure of our
national politics.
This change involves a branch of government which many
Canadians are not even aware of. Stephen Harper is once again on his crusade to
do anything about the Senate. A crusade which he has long been on, which was a
promise of his 2011 election campaign.
But there is one question that begs answering. Should Canada
become a country with a unicameral legislature? Which is a fancy word for a
form of government that only uses one legislative body to pass laws. Currently
Canada has the House of Commons and the Senate, where bills must pass both
houses before they become law.
To abolish the Senate, Harper would have to amend the
Constitution of Canada. The Constitution Act of 1982 established the procedure
for amending the constitution. For a change as drastic as abolishing the
Senate, every provincial legislature in Canada would have to sign off on the
idea.
So far we know that this is untenable for the Premier of
Quebec Philippe Couillard, who has already expressed his opposition to the
abolition of the senate. His position comes from the perspective that he does
not want to see the influence of Quebec diminished in Canadian politics.
What also makes it a difficult task is trying to pass a law
in through the Senate which will potentially make everyone who votes for it
jobless. That seems to be a bit of a conflict of interest and will be difficult
to maneuver unless Harper can exercise the power over his caucus which is
usually seen.
But do we really want a unicameral legislature in Canada?
This seems to only make it easier for a party that is in the majority to pursue
their agenda unabated. I hear enough complaints about how a majority party in
Canada seems to have almost complete control over government. Abolishing the
Senate would only make that more so.
The Senate as it currently exists does pose issues for new
incoming governments. When the Conservatives first came into power with Stephen
Harper, they had a difficult time implementing their laws because of the Liberal
majority in the Senate formed by the more-than-decade long Liberal government.
This was also a major problem for Brian Mulroney’s Conservatives after decades
of Liberal party rule.
I am personally more in favour of Senate reform than I am in
getting rid of the Senate all together. I believe we should preserve our
bicameral history of government. I would just like to see direct election of
Senators. This position has also been tried by Stephen Harper with no success.
There really seems to be no clear answer to our Senate
issue. It will probably continue to be a political football for years and years
to come. Unless at some point the provinces can come to a concensus on what
they would live to see done with the Senate, a concensus that agrees with the
current federal government of course.
For now, just know that much of what the leaders say about
the Senate is just posturing, with very little chance of becoming reality.
