[martin14]

rickc rickc:

At the risk of appearing ignorant, well on second thought the actuallity of being ignorant, why are not the Senators elected? What purpose does it serve for the appointment of these positions? I have no say in Canadian politics. I have to say that someone who had just lost an election in the States,being appointed to a position of power(regardless of party} would tend to pisss me off. The people have spoke. If they voiced a vote of no confidence, than said politician needs to take a haitus. Let them start the rebuilding process. Many politicians have risen fron the ashes of defeat to go on to victory again. I have no problem with that. If they work for it, they deserve it. In my way of thinking.....for someone who has just lost an election to be appointed to a position of power, flies in the face of democracy. Now if thats the way it has always been in Canada and that the spoils of victory go to the victor, than I have mispoken. If that is the case, than I appologize for my ignorance of the situation.

We based our Senate on the British House of Lords, which is also an unelected body.

[Proculation]

Well, it's politics, buddies.

[Bruce_the_vii]

The USA has an elected senate, second body - and the damn voters have split their vote for decades. They purposely hang Congress. I'm not all that political, don't know what the senate does for us these days, but see a problem with splitting the vote.

[Bruce_the_vii]

I happen to like Josee Vernier. I had a letter from her that was very street savvy. I don't know that she'll survive but she's young, pretty, a Quebecer and one of the few street savvy people in the Conservative Party.

[commanderkai]

PublicAnimalNo9 PublicAnimalNo9:

Sure he'll wait. It'll have been 9-10 years as PM for Harper by then, which seems to be close to the limit before we get pissed and toss the ruling party out, or he does a Mulroney and throws someone else under the bus when the CPC is about to get whupped on, like the old PCs.
At that point, we would he even give a shit about Senate Reform?

We might remove the CPC from power after this last election, or at least Harper, but Harper, being pretty politically savvy, knows that not putting forth an elected Senate before the end of his reign will bite CPC support in the West. If Harper cares about the CPC, a party that he basically brought to power, he'll enact it.

[EyeBrock]

I think Harper will do all the things he's been saying he will do. Senate Reform will happen.

[Smacle]

I think the NDP already proved that people aren't interested in their local MPs. Pick the people who can do the job.

[OnTheIce]

Canadaka Canadaka:

RUEZ RUEZ:

Canadaka Canadaka:

and the hypocrite continues, even now with a majority in the lower & upper house he continues his partisan appointments long dead are is the reform Harper.

I suppose you can take the high road because the party you support didn't want to do anything to fix the senate at all.

just because I vote Liberal doesn't mean I support every decision every made by the party or every policy proposal. I want senate reform along with many Liberals, Conservatives and New Democrats. The difference is the Liberals didn't promise NOT to appoint senators and didn't run on a platform promising senate reform.

And you know very well that you can't just leave the Senate empty until that time comes.

You know exactly why the changes to the Senate didn't take place and you know very well you can't leave the Senate empty in the hopes that one day reform will take place.

[martin14]

EyeBrock EyeBrock:

I think Harper will do all the things he's been saying he will do. Senate Reform will happen.

I'll predict Quebec will not agree, nor Nova Scotia or New Brunswick.

[Hawkes]

As the ruling government, they have every right to put people into the senate no matter what they've promised. It's just another broken promise from a politician and I don't think we'll get the senate reform that he's been advertising and campaigning on because it has to go through the provinces.

The thing that gets me is this - appointing people who have failed to win their seats in an election. This isn't the first time it has been done by Harper. If the people in the ridings have stated that they do not want a certain candidate to represent them, then why would they want the same person representing them as a senator?

Why not get someone else to fill the seat that can do a reasonable job instead of what appears to be patronage postings?

[martin14]

Because they are patronage postings, nothing can make it appear otherwise.


The Libs are just pissed off cuz it's not their guys getting in, they had no
problems doing the same before.

[Benn]

EyeBrock EyeBrock:

I think Harper will do all the things he's been saying he will do. Senate Reform will happen.

Yeah but the promise, as they often do, might look something like this. "Well I will do it, but that is a lot of work to get in order. It might take a lot of research and legal changes etc, say 4 years, which of course means I will table the bill just before I have to call the next election so to pass it I need a second majority and if I don't get it then the public didn't want it."

[OnTheIce]

martin14 martin14:

Because they are patronage postings, nothing can make it appear otherwise.


The Libs are just pissed off cuz it's not their guys getting in, they had no
problems doing the same before.

The Liberals are pissed off because they see this as a broken promise.

However, they're ignoring why.

Harper has tried to change the Senate at least 4 times, so it's disingenuous for the Liberals to turn around and say, "you broke your promise" when it was them who stood in the way of fulfilling this promise.

[Hawkes]

martin14 martin14:

Because they are patronage postings, nothing can make it appear otherwise.


The Libs are just pissed off cuz it's not their guys getting in, they had no
problems doing the same before.

Honest question, have the Liberals put people into the senate who failed to win their own election?

And then there was Martin's government who gave a few seats to the opposition. Was this a rare thing to do or do most governments give at least a nod to the other parties once in a blue moon?

Serious questions because I admit I don't know the answers to them.

[Hawkes]

OnTheIce OnTheIce:

martin14 martin14:

Because they are patronage postings, nothing can make it appear otherwise.


The Libs are just pissed off cuz it's not their guys getting in, they had no
problems doing the same before.

The Liberals are pissed off because they see this as a broken promise.

However, they're ignoring why.

Harper has tried to change the Senate at least 4 times, so it's disingenuous for the Liberals to turn around and say, "you broke your promise" when it was them who stood in the way of fulfilling this promise.

Now that they're not "in his way", what will Harper do when the provinces say no?