Miyasha

Bullen

The Illegitimacy of the Canadian Senate

Recently, several Canadian senators have been accused of improperly collecting expenses relating to their permanent residences. It appears that these residences are not permanent at all, but instead are excuses to inflate travel and living allowances. This issue highlights one of the continuing controversies concerning the Senate, being whether the Senate appropriately serves regional interests. However, it also serves to remind us that there are many other issues that have not yet been addressed, including whether the Senate is serving any legitimate function at all. The fact that senators are not elected and directly responsible to their communities is at the root of the Senates ineffectiveness. Senators often become far too comfortable in their positions, with generous salaries and pensions. Once appointed, senators are guaranteed a seat in the Senate until the age of 75. They are not required to fight for their position at every election and so their record and contributions to the political system are not important. As a result of their secure and assured position, appointed senators may be tempted to overlook or bend the rules. In the case of senators Mike Duffy and Pamela Wallin, they have allegedly taken advantage of their status as senators. Ms. Wallin, a senator for Saskatchewan, has apparently been living in Ontario and not in Saskatchewan. Her valid Ontario health care card is strong evidence that she is an Ontario resident and that her expense claims relating a Saskatchewan are false. In order to have a health care card in Ontario, one must be living there for at least 153 days in a 12-month period. In addition to the false expense claims (which are bad

Miyasha Bullen enough) by not spending the majority of her time in Saskatchewan, Ms. Wallin is not able to completely understand the needs of the people of Saskatchewan and can therefore not adequately represent them in the Senate. Mr. Duffy has also bent the rules as a Senator. He has claimed expenses relating to his supposed home in PEI when he actually seems to live in Ottawa. The tax dollars of Canadian citizens are going towards Mr. Duffys travel between Ontario, where he spends the majority of his time, and PEI. If there was a prospect of an election, there is no doubt that Mr. Duffy and Ms. Wallin would have been more careful with their actions. Another issue with the system of the Canadian Senate is absenteeism. Since the Senate has become nothing more than a rubber stamp of legislation passed by the House of Commons, senators may not feel that their presence is necessary to make decisions. Certain senators have rather poor attendance records to important committee meetings and chamber sittings. Prominent senators with such records include Romeo Dallaire and Patrick Brazeau. The problem with the reoccurring absences of certain senators is that the provinces they are meant to represent are not being equally or effectively represented in the Senate. The senate reforms proposed by Stephen Harper prior to his election as Prime Minister seemed to be forgotten. His Triple E Senate Elected, Equal and Effective remains far from reality. Canada needs to look south to the America model where senators are elected and each state is guaranteed a set number of senators. Unfortunately, Mr. Harper seems to have fallen in the same practices as his predecessors, awarding political allies with Senate appointments. Why should

Miyasha Bullen Canadians tolerate this? Surely there are better and more deserving places for our tax dollars. We will likely not have to wait long for the next Senate scandal. Where there is no effective punishment for bad behavior among senators (such as losing their appointment before 75) we cant expect much better. Without real reforms, the continuing illegitimacy of the Canadian Senate seems to be a certainty.