Election Review/analysis - Canadian Government and Politics

Election Review/Analysis

Marc Andre Vaillancourt 0310125

Canadian Government and Politics

Nadia Verrelli

Word Count:1122

November 19th, 2015

The senate in Canada has been around as long as the government has been which was formed in 1867 with the creation of the dominion of Canada. The senate’s main two purposes are to sober a second thought and regional representation at the centre. These days senators are getting in trouble with the law. Senators can not keep track of their residences or their expenses landing them in hot water. I will speak about the current make up of the senate and its main roles, I will also speak the reason for the senate as well as ways to see if we could reform the senate or if abolishing it would be the easier answer. Finally we will see the roles provinces have in the senate.

The senate in considered the upper house in Canadian politics and its use is to sober a second thought and for regional representation at the centre. When a bill passes the House of Commons it is passed on to the senate for approval before its next steps. The senate rarely rejects a bill these days. Rather they review federal legislations clause by clause in senate committees and can amend the legislation and send them back to the House of Commons and they usually accept the amendments made. Senators can also delay the passage of bills. This is usually effective near the end of a session in parliament in order to delay the bill passing into law. Also the senate can introduce their own bills but this does not include bills that involved money such as tax bills or spend taxpayer’s money. The House of Commons must also pass the bill. Regional representation is also important as senator seats are usually distributed in twenty-four seats for the Maritimes, Ontario, Quebec and Western Regions each, 6 for Newfoundland and Labrador and one for the three territories. Senators will meet in regional party caucuses and consider the impact of the legislation for their region. Senators are named and usually represent a political party. Shortly after Justin Trudeau was elected leader of the Liberal party he removed all Liberal senators from the liberal caucus due to the issues involving senators, which will be talked about. Trudeau was quoted as saying that “The senate is broken and needs to be fixed” ^[1] Trudeau also said the senate must be non-partisan to better serve Canadians. The senate consists of eighty-five which includes twenty-two vacant seats and there has not been a senator appointed to the senate since 2013.

        The senate was created in 1867 with the formation of the Canadian government and the House of Commons. At that time Ontario was the most populous and fastest growing province but Quebec and the Maritimes were considered more important to the national economy and their interest were not the same as Ontario so they insisted on equal regional representation in the upper house (the senate) without that their may not haven been confederation. The senate was created to perform three basic functions: legislative, deliberative and investigative. It was there to represent the various regional, provincial and minority interest in Canada.