Senate QP: Gould talks Senate appointments

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Following the largely repetitive QP in the Other Place, Minister of Democratic Institutions, Karina Gould, headed over to the Senate for their ministerial QP as this week’s special guest star. Senator Larry Smith led off, asking about the mention of Senate reform in her mandate letter, but the only mention on her site has been around the appointments process, and was that the extent of her involvement. Gould said that she was looking forward to being part of the Senate’s internal modernisation efforts and would be there for them if they wanted to change the Parliament of Canada Act. Smith asked her to table the names of all senate appointment candidates and committee meeting minutes, but Gould noted that she was not part of the process, and wouldn’t commit to tabling anything.

Senator Batters went into James Cudmore’s hiring by her office, and wondered if PMO directed her to hire him, and who was paying his legal fees. Gould noted that Batters was in step with her colleagues in the Other Place before she praised staffers, and noted that questions on an ongoing court case were inappropriate.

Senator Mercer asked about the implementation of Bill C-50 on election advertising, and Gould assured him that Elections Canada is on track to implement it, before going onto how proud she was about Bill C-76, which would create a new pre-writ period for political activities.

Senator Bernard worried the underrepresentation of Black Canadians in the Senate, particularly from regions like Ontario. Gould said they were striving for representativeness, and while it wouldn’t be perfect, she noted that 58 percent of the recent appointments have been women, and added that she has asked the appointment board to solicit applications from as broad a range of Canadians as possible.

Senator Coyle asked about any steps around future democratic reform, and Gould reminded her there was no consensus on how to change the system, but when it comes to a change of the magnitude, they needed more consensus. Gould then went onto plugging the work around Bill C-76, including how it empowers Elections Canada to do civic education.

Senator Tkachuk asked about Vikram Vij being on the Senate advisory panel while he was also on Trudeau’s much maligned India trip. Gould reminded him that he panels are arm’s length, and that they respected the names put forward by the provinces.

Senator Dagenais returned to the issue of electoral reform, and wondered why the promise was set aside, and also the status of election spending legislation. Gould noted that she would give him the same answer as to Senator Coyle — they needed more consensus; she also noted that around expenditures, Bill C-50 would come into effect at the end of the year, and that C-76 was a great bill.

Senator Omidvar asked about changes to the Parliament of Canada Act, and wanted formal amendments to the rules around who they work in the Chamber. Gould said she wanted to converse more on the subject and didn’t want to prejudice the conversation, and hoped to carry on that work in consultation with them going forward.

Senator Dasko asked about the amendments to Bill C-76 being made at the committee stage in the Commons, and Gould said that the bulk of amendments were from the Conservatives who were trying to gut the bill,  turned some of the amendments stemmed from Elections Canada feedback, and they were trying to incorporate those.

Senator Martin asked about the fundraising rules brought in by the government that the Globe and Mail reports were broken, to which Gould simply responded that she looked forward to the Conservatives reporting on their own fundraisers.

Senator Eaton asked for a timetable on Northern territories senators being replaced, but Gould noted that she has no control over that, but  would raise it with the committee.

Senator Batters returned for a supplemental, and picked apart Gould’s previous answer on Vikram Vij’s appointment to a panel, noting that BC didn’t put forward any names to the appointment committee, to which Gould said that they sought out qualified names.

Senator Joyal asked why the government refused to impose privacy legislation on political parties, but Gould praised the steps taking so far about requiring privacy statements, and said the issue requires more study.

Senator Mockler wanted an Acadian to fill the vacant seat in Nova Scotia, to which Gould reiterated that she was looking for minority representatives, but she doesn’t appoint them, so she would pass along the sentiment.

Senator Downe noted other gaps in the Senate such as the lack of farmers, fishers, or veterans among their ranks, and Gould said that she has asked the appointments committee to expand their search, including to let organisations nominate individuals, and said that if they know someone who should be appointed, they should be encouraged to apply or for an organisation to nominate them.

Senator Joyal returned to the issue of privacy legislation, naming organisations like Cambridge Analytica, and Gould reminded him that they fall under other privacy legislation and that there are further studies ongoing.

Overall, I found this particular QP to be fairly informative in that it gave some more insight into what is happening with the Senate appointment process, which has been something of a black box, and the fact that Gould has very little input over it is interesting, as well as her willingness to work to making reforms to the Parliament of Canada Act is also interesting given how some of the changes the ISG are pressing for could have generational consequences. It was also worth noting that she is being fairly hands-off when it comes to further Senate reforms, which is on the one hand a fairly good thing, but could also signal a kind of benign neglect on the part of the government that could make things worse as time goes on.

Sartorially speaking, snaps go out to Senator Nicole Eaton for a black and grey patterned suit and skirt, and to Senator David Wells for a tailored black suit with a light blue shirt and darker blue tie. Style citations go out to Senator Peter Harder for a nicely tailored taupe three-piece suit paired with a less-than-ideal light blue shirt and bright green tie, and to Senator Pamela Wallin for a boxy honey-coloured jacket with black circle patterns, and black slacks.