Are politicians strangely enough, and they don't like the possibility that their voices may be drowned out by additional elected representatives in the senate taking away some of their power.
The amazing part of this process, is the absolute insistence by the provinces that for the senate to be elected it must be a consitutional change. Of course they know that the mere mention of a constitutional change in this country brings back ghosts of the Meech Lake Accord so it might as well as be a door slammed shut.
The truth is that senators have been elected in the past and could be in the future without any constitutional wrangling. So long as the Prime Minister is willing to appoint elected Senators the path is viable. Manitoba is already embarking down that process now.
The real question is, just at what point will Whining provincial leaders finally admit that having an unelected body of representatives is an embarrassment to this country?
People are so willing to decry Stephen Harper for doing what every Prime Minister has done on average once every two years by proroguing parliament as affront against democracy, yet where is the equal horror at our unelected senate?
I share your desire for elected senators.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I see no real desire in the country for it.
A law requiring it is unconstitutional, clearly, and no one including the Prime Minister seems to care enough to amend the Constitution. If it is that important, I would think that there would at least be some exploration of the issue or some citizens groups pushing for the Constitutional amendment necessary.
Doing things by halfmeasures will not make things better.
Good post.
ReplyDeleteI've been thinking it, now I see you've been thinking it.
That means there are quite a few others thinking it.
The longer the MSM wants to keep this story going sooner or later the constitutional angle will rise to the front and the liberal divide will reveal itself yet again.