True to his roots, Prime Minister Stephen Harper is moving ahead, wide-open throttle, with senate reforms.First up: limiting senators' term limits to about 8 years, ending the practice whereby they're currently appointed until they turn 75.
Then... a move towards electing senators.
Sounds good, doesn't it?
I think so too.
Story here. h/t: NationalNewswatch.com
The PM said a refusal by the Senate to pass Bill S-4 -- which would no longer allow senators to keep their seats until they are 75 -- would send a message to Canadians.
"It would indicate the Senate could not participate in this reform and there would be political repercussions," he said.
Liberal Sen. Jim Munson quickly took issue with the remark.
There are critics that believe you would like nothing better than to fight an election on the backs of the Senate," he said.
"Don't give me the opportunity," Harper responded.
You tell 'em, Stephen!
If the senators actually believe that fighting an election on the issue of electing the Senate and limiting their terms wouldn't be a winning issue for the Conservatives, the unelected, unaccountable, overpaid, barely-doing-anything trough-feeders are either delusional or possess astonishing chutzpah.
Above: some Liberal senators doing their thing, whatever it is...
Besides, these are the guys who, as far as I can recall, automatically rubber-stamped all Liberal legislation for thirteen long, frustrating years... and are now promising to stall -and might end up somehow blocking- the Federal Accountability Act even if it passes through Parliament, the democratically-elected legislative Lower Chamber.
Is it any surprise that the Liberal-dominated Senate is going to suddenly, after all these years of brainless rubber-stamping, throw up a barrier to the passage into law of, critically important, desperately-desired-by-Canadians, Conservative legislation to bring high ethical standards and accountability to government which we've never had before? Are the Liberal loyalists in the Senate attempting to kill the legislation to protect their Liberal cronies from being further investigated... and potentially charged... and sentenced with... some kinds of criminal offences... for actions taken while in power? This is the question to keep in mind when the Liberal senators try to block this legislation, which was a key component of the Conservatives' winning election platform.
Eventually, hopefully, we'll have a triple-E Senate... Equal, Elected and Effective. It's better than a bunch of overpaid hacks and cronies just sitting around doing little, if anything, of use to Canadians and occassionally causing problems like blocking the Federal Accountability Act.
