One of the most despised political institutions in Canada gets a new look
Canadians can’t stand their Senate. In a Nanos Research poll from March 2018, one in five respondents reported that, when they hear the phrase “Senate of Canada,” the words ineffective and pointless immediately spring to mind. Others described the Senate as corrupt, outdated, and a waste of money.
The upper house of Parliament was created in 1867 as a kind of review board to scrutinize bills before they became law — and to enable what John A. Macdonald, Canada’s first prime minister, called “sober second thought.” The country’s 105 senators are appointed by the Governor General on the advice of the PM. Technically, they have the power to kill parliamentary bills outright, although they haven’t done so since 1939.
While the Senate doesn’t have public opinion on its side, it does have the constitution. In a 2014 decision, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that abolishing the Senate — a move favoured by nearly a quarter of the country, according to the recent Nanos survey, and at least one political party, the NDP — would require unanimous consent from all ten provinces, the House of Commons, and the Senate. (Yes, the Senate would have to vote for its own demise.) As long as the Supreme Court’s judgment stands, the Senate isn’t going anywhere.
Even reform is hard to pull off. In 2006, Stephen Harper took office as prime minister with a plan to populate the Senate with elected officials. To this end, he introduced a bill that never became law. Justin Trudeau opted for a less-ambitious overhaul: rather than being chosen via prime ministerial fiat, the candidates now have their names submitted by an independent advisory board to his office for approval. This idea drew criticism — could senators really be nonpartisan if their tenures had been blessed by the prime minister? — but at least it was feasible.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der June 2019-Ausgabe von The Walrus.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der June 2019-Ausgabe von The Walrus.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
MY GUILTY PLEASURE
I WAS AS SURPRISED as anyone when I became obsessed with comics again last year, at the advanced age of forty-five. As a kid, I loved reading G.I. Joe and The Amazing Spider-Man.
The Upside-Down Book
In her new novel, Rachel Cusk makes the case for becoming a stranger to yourself
Pick a Colour
BACK HERE, I can hear a group of women trickle in. Filling the floor with giggles and voices.
Quebec's Crushing Immigration Policy
Familial separation can have devastating consequences on mental health and productivity
The Briefcase
What I learned about being a writer from trying to finish a dead man's book
In the Footsteps of Migrants Who Never Made It
Thousands have died trying to cross into the US from Mexico. Each year, activists follow their harrowing trek
Blood Language
Menstruation ties us to the land in ways we've all but forgotten
Dream Machines
The real threat with artificial intelligence is that we'll fall prey to its hype
Invisible Lives
Without immigration status, Canada's undocumented youth stay in the shadows
My Guilty Pleasure
"The late nights are mine alone, and I'll spend them however I damn well please"