Oh, look – it’s the Senate bat-signal, shining one last time for me this year. Here we go: Senators Greene and Massicotte, who have been trying to organise some internal reforms to the Chamber, are warning that if modernisations don’t happen within the caucuses that they may see more defections from frustrated Senators, and swelling the ranks of Independents – particularly relevant with more senators on the way chosen by this new process (though nothing says that all of these new senators will sit as Independents, or that they won’t opt to sit in one of the two existing caucuses). Many of the reforms that the two are proposing are pretty modest – electing chairs and vice-chairs of standing committees, replacing Question Period with “Issues Period,” electing caucus officers, televising Senate proceedings; larger communications budgets to promote the Senate and its work (particularly committee reports); and electing the Speaker. Some of these are already in the works, like televising/webcasting procedures, which will happen in a year or two, once they get the technology sorted. Similarly, work to reform Senate Communications has been ongoing, and will continue, and I’m sure no one will argue that more money would help. Some of them – electing caucus officers – already happens in the Senate Liberal caucus, and sounds like is starting to happen in the Conservative ranks. The issue of committee membership is a topic that is currently being debated, and no doubt work will be undertaken on this in the Senate Rules committee, where it will start getting hammered out because the growing number of Independents does make this a priority issue for them. Some of the ideas, however, are more problematic, such as electing the Senate Speaker. Why? Because the Senate Speaker is actually the titular Head of Parliament; it makes sense for this to be a government appointee as a result, and because of this titular position, it comes with diplomatic and protocol responsibilities. Having the Senate elect their own that could be in opposition to the government of the day would be a serious problem, which few people seem to be grasping. As for “Issues Period,” I find it to be the weakest suggestion, particularly as asking questions of committee chairs a) is already possible, and b) doesn’t happen often because there’s not a lot to ask of them. As I explained in my piece in the National Post last week, Senate Question Period is about holding government to account, and with there being no Conservative Atlantic Canadian MPs in the Commons, it gives those Atlantic senators an opportunity to play that role. Or rather, it would if they had someone to hold account. In the absence of that, the Senate loses out on one of its functions, which will become a problem, and it’s something that “Issues Period” won’t solve.

Good reads:

• The provincial finance ministers are holding off taking any action on the CPP for now (even though changes would take three years to start phasing in).
• Thomas Mulcair issued an apology to Senator Jean-Guy Dagenais for implying in an ad that he was under police investigation, lest he face a defamation suit.
• Nathan Cullen thinks we should have a referendum on electoral reform after we have an election with a new system first. Asking forgiveness instead of permission.
• Harjit Sajjan continues to consult with allies in the region about Canada’s future role in the Iraq mission.
• The head of military procurement insists that the shipbuilding programme isn’t broken. And yet…
• The government took the first steps in dismantling the “union disclosure” law from last parliaments.
• The Citizen talks with RCMP Commissioner Bob Paulson, who has been in the job for four years now.
• The Globe and Mail has a long read talking to Conservatives about their electoral loss, and the upcoming leadership.
• Matt Gurney looks at the issue of repealing spanking laws, which is one of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission recommendations.

Odds and ends:

At the finance ministers’ meeting yesterday, only one was a woman – Cathy Bennett from Newfoundland and Labrador.

Here’s a look at some of the names showing up on the PMO lists.

https://twitter.com/emmmacfarlane/status/679031584809357313

https://twitter.com/emmmacfarlane/status/679032283244851200