The purpose of the Canadian Senate

[grammafreddy]

Starting a new thread so I don't derail this other one ...

viewtopic.php?f=83&t=52585&p=1530474#p1529985

I bet Jo is so proud of me :D

Soooooooooooooooooooooo .... lets discuss the original purpose of the Senate, how people were chosen for it and whether the purpose is the same today.

What is the Senate supposed to do? Do they still do that?

Does anybody pay any attention to the Senate at all or is it basically just ignored and government does what they wanted in the first place?

What does a downhill skier and a hockey player know about government and making decisions for the people of Canada? Are there rules about who can be appointed to the Senate? Requirements?

[Donald G]

The Senate today has outlived any usefulness they may have had. A dozen people could easily do all of the meetings and visitations they carry out. As has been clearly illustrated over and over they are completely politically affiliated and their loyalty is to the party who appointed them rather than the Canadian people who pay their salaries and costs.

For a Senate to continue supporting peers who tried to defraud the taxpayers of several hundred thousand dollars casts a 'criminal atmosphere' over the whole senate.

Dump all except 12 or dump them all.

[A_Britishcolumbian]

hey grammafreddy, the new 'avatar' threw me :)
it is good to agree with donald_g, in some small respect:)

there is in my mind a strong argument for senate reform as the purpose of the senate is obviously not being served.

the queen, if you believe she exists, is second only to god, and her power is executed arguably in 'canada', and arguably in 'british columbia' by the governor general, and primarily in 'british columbia' by the lieutenant governor.

the governor general 'makes' everything happen,in 'canada', via the swipe of a pen. before that pen is swiped though, what is signed into 'law' is subject to preaproval by the privy council made up of 'senators' and members of 'parliament' and such.

bills are proposals to become 'law'and are reviewed by 'government' and voted on to be forwarded to 'senate', to be voted on by 'senate' to be forwarded on to the governor general to be swiped into law.

while we do not vote for the senate, they actually represent the ultimate voice and will of the people.

today the 'senate' represents the will and power of a select few 'canadians' and one political party.

[EdCase]

Interesting topic GF.

The original - and supposedly current - purpose of the Senate was to be the court of 'sober second thought'; to act as a check and balance on the HoC to make sure that legislation was in the interest of the country and its people. Senators were supposed to be selected for their ability to bring this independent and educated review to their work. Instead, successive governments have loaded the chamber with party hacks and bag (wo)men who are there to ensure the work of their party is not derailed. As such, it serves no useful purpose and recent events have shown how senators are abusing their positions at our expense.

I don't think it should be abolished but it should be replaced with a body that more truly reflects the make-up of our country. We are a confederated state and the Senate should be replaced with an expanded Council of the Federation where the provinces would provide the 'sober second thought' to ensure that the HoC is acting in the best interests of the country, not the party in power. Right now, the provinces are being treated as irrelevant by this government and yet this is where people are most impacted by governments.

This is not dissimilar to the Swiss model of government and would be a huge improvement over what we have right now; a dictatorial bastardization of our democracy!

[matai]

Funny, I googled "canadian senate parody" to find a picture worthy of this thread, and this showed up: