Politics is never perfect. Society is full of conflicting agendas and needs, so the political structure will never perfectly represent all interested groups. The choice to expel senators from the Liberal caucus which was announced last Wednesday by Liberal leader Justin Trudeau is being heralded as a positive step towards Senate reform. That remains to be seen, but perhaps the biggest outcome will be a further increase in support for Trudeau.
The Senate serves as a secondary oversight body composed of members appointed by the Governor General at the advice of the Prime Minister. Before Wednesday’s announcement, the Canadian Senate was composed of 57 Conservatives, 32 Liberals, 1 Progressive Conservative and 6 independents. Aside from the current Senate expense scandal, population density shifts mean that Western provinces have significantly less representation with the current distribution of seats.
The idea that all senators should be independents was proposed by the NDP last fall. A consequent motion proposed by the New Democrats was actually voted against by the Liberals. Having no party affiliation is thought to make the Senate a less biased body when it comes to approving or denying bills. The West feels that this is a step towards better representation. Previously Stephen Harper championed a ‘Triple E Senate’ in which the Senate would be composed of elected members, would function effectively and have equal representation for each province. However equal representation has since been dropped from Harper’s idea of an ideal future Senate.
Trudeau stated that “Paired with patronage, the pervasive issue of partisanship and control in the Senate is a deeply negative force.” He was quick to call attention to his party as “relentless reformers.” Emphasizing that, “When public institutions fail to serve the public interest, we take bold steps to change them. These proposals will bring real, positive change for Canadians.” The statement sounded decisively electoral. While senators can no longer be a part of the Liberal caucus, there is nothing to stop them from forming their own or joining that of another party.
In the end, this action is nothing more than a gesture acknowledging that there are gaps in the current form of the Senate. By rejecting senators from his party, Trudeau changes very little besides betraying senators who share his beliefs and values. Personally this seems to be smoke and mirrors to put forward a good election image without creating any sort of radical changes. Yes there may no longer be senators tied to Liberal Party values but it doesn’t change that representation for different provinces is not equal, nor does it increase senator accountability. At the same time, this is politics, nothing of real consequence happens in politics anyways.
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