Roundup: Some answers on the Senate question

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That Senate bat-signal? It came with air raid sirens today. To recap, the government named Senator George Furey as the new Senate Speaker, which was a positive step, then they handed down their plan for their new appointment process, and amidst this all, Conservative Senator Jacques Demers quit caucus to sit as an independent. So where to begin? Well, with Furey’s appointment, it lays to rest issues around whether the government would ignore their obligation to make the appointment, and to the questions of what to do with Housakos after the allegations of his breaching senators’ privilege with the AG leaks. Senator Elaine McCoy was disappointed that Senators couldn’t choose their own Speaker, but I’m not sure she’s aware that it would require a constitutional amendment for that to happen (but one with a minor amending formula, granted). And then there the appointment panel – it’s designed much like the Vice-Regal Appointments Commission, with three permanent federal members and two ad hoc members per province with a vacancy, and they will draw up a short list for each vacancy for the Prime Minister to choose from. It’s constitutional and creates the atmosphere for the Senate to change from within, based on the recommendations from Emmett Macfarlane. The plan is to draw up a temporary process to name five Senators quickly in the New Year (two each for Manitoba and Ontario plus one for Quebec, where the representation levels are getting low), and the permanent process will then take over and fill the remaining vacancies, plus new ones as they happen. The plan is also that the provincial will give input on the appointment of board members from their province (though the federal government will appoint them for the temporary process). Christie Clark said that she’s not interested in participating, which is fine – the government can appoint BC representatives for the committee without her government’s input, and the same with Brad Wall if he joins her obstinacy. It was also announced that one of those five first appointments will be named the government leader in the Senate, but that they won’t be in cabinet and will be more of an administrator or a legislative coordinator, thus impacting on the accountability aspect (which I will write about in a future piece). It does provide a bit more clarity, however, but much remains to be worked out. As for Demers, I have little sympathy for his whinging that he didn’t want to vote on certain bills when he was in caucus, but he did it out of loyalty “to the team,” and to Harper. He had a choice. He singled out Bill C-377, which four other of his colleagues either voted against or abstained on in the final vote when they found the intestinal fortitude to do so. He could have joined them but chose not to, and only now leaves once Harper is gone. He’s a grown-up and had choices all this time.

https://twitter.com/emmmacfarlane/status/672432061702017024

Good reads:

  • Geoff Regan has been elected Speaker of the Commons, whose father was also an MP under the first Trudeau. Musings from Wherry here.
  • The government has asked the Supreme Court for an extension on the assisted dying law, but even if they don’t get it, it’s not like the floodgates will open.
  • Chrystia Freeland says she’s not cheerleading the TPP just yet.
  • The government is hiring new shipbuilding advisors to help control ballooning costs in the naval shipbuilding file.
  • The hiring process has begun at Veterans Affairs.
  • The new government has decided they won’t contribute funds to either the Victims of Communism memorial, or the Mother Canada statue.
  • A report on mental health issues in the public service talks about a need to “humanize” that workplace.
  • Remember the court challenge of the Conservative law that retroactively made the RCMP’s illegal deletion of certain long-gun registry data legal? It’s on hold for now.
  • The NDP are trying to stick their noses into the Senate AG report leaks, despite the fact that the Commons is forbidden to interfere in the Senate.
  • Kevin Milligan suggests ways to help stop high-income earners from avoiding paying taxes.

Odds and ends:

Margaret Trudeau has been promoting her book in an advertorial paid by drug companies.

The Liberals have cancelled their contest to for donors to win dinner with the finance minister after ethics complaints.

CBC has a great little animated video to explain why the Speech From the Throne is the way it is.

https://twitter.com/janelytv/status/672548546088984576

One thought on “Roundup: Some answers on the Senate question”

  1. Have to say am not impressed with Senator Demers and his hockey comparison about the Team blah blah. Well he got his 5 minutes of fame now he can disappear into oblivion. I had the impression that given Demers background he always thought Harper was Einstein.

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