Senate Reform
CIVICS PORTFOLIO ESSAY
DUE: JUNE 6TH 2011
Teacher: Mr. Griem
Should the Canadian Senate be left alone, reformed or abolished?
By: Shakir M. Lakhani SECTION 4
Final Civics Essay
June 6th, 2011
Shakir M. Lakhani
Topic: Senate Reform
Do you feel your government is fair? Does it manage the issues properly, with careful thought, and an open, objective mind? Is it effective? Do you feel that the Senate is a “sober chamber of second thought?” Do you feel that the best interests of the Canadian public are always preserved in the current model of our governance? If so, you’re mistaken. Under our present governance, we have two houses, the House of Commons, and the Senate, the reform to the latter being the main topic of this essay.
The notion, or the concept of having the Senate in Canada is indeed a very powerful one, provided it functioned on the principles of the Triple-E Senate, whereby it would be Equal, Elected, and Effective. Even more importantly, it has to have the support and the respect of the Canadian Public, whose interests it exists to serve. The following paragraphs elaborate on some of the concerns with the current model, the potential options to address these concerns, and the preferred way forward to reforming the Senate.
Presently, the Canadian government is run by Stephen Harper, a man who has been promising to reform the senate, primarily for the purpose of making it an Elected Senate. After some six years in power, we have yet to see any meaningful initiatives to reform the Senate. If anything, what we have seen are numerous examples of partisan appointments to the Senate that seriously pose the threat of extreme bias in the Upper House. So, is there a need to reform the Senate? Of course there is, and fast. The public must reform the Senate, and lessen its influence, without abolishing the Senate, or severing ties with the British Upper House, where our model of government originated.
The people want an elected
DUE: JUNE 6TH 2011
Teacher: Mr. Griem
Should the Canadian Senate be left alone, reformed or abolished?
By: Shakir M. Lakhani SECTION 4
Final Civics Essay
June 6th, 2011
Shakir M. Lakhani
Topic: Senate Reform
Do you feel your government is fair? Does it manage the issues properly, with careful thought, and an open, objective mind? Is it effective? Do you feel that the Senate is a “sober chamber of second thought?” Do you feel that the best interests of the Canadian public are always preserved in the current model of our governance? If so, you’re mistaken. Under our present governance, we have two houses, the House of Commons, and the Senate, the reform to the latter being the main topic of this essay.
The notion, or the concept of having the Senate in Canada is indeed a very powerful one, provided it functioned on the principles of the Triple-E Senate, whereby it would be Equal, Elected, and Effective. Even more importantly, it has to have the support and the respect of the Canadian Public, whose interests it exists to serve. The following paragraphs elaborate on some of the concerns with the current model, the potential options to address these concerns, and the preferred way forward to reforming the Senate.
Presently, the Canadian government is run by Stephen Harper, a man who has been promising to reform the senate, primarily for the purpose of making it an Elected Senate. After some six years in power, we have yet to see any meaningful initiatives to reform the Senate. If anything, what we have seen are numerous examples of partisan appointments to the Senate that seriously pose the threat of extreme bias in the Upper House. So, is there a need to reform the Senate? Of course there is, and fast. The public must reform the Senate, and lessen its influence, without abolishing the Senate, or severing ties with the British Upper House, where our model of government originated.
The people want an elected
Bibliography: Sites/Newspapers/Articles Viewed (No author) “Sending defeated Candidates to the Senate” The Guardian (editorial) May 25, 2011 Publish Date not stated June 1, 2011 http://unseatharper.ca/senate-appointments.php Publish date not stated, assumed May 2001. June 2, 2011 http://www.parl.gc.ca/About/Senate/LegisFocus/focus-e.htm Parkinson, Rhonda. “The Future of the Canadian Senate. Should the Senate be reformed or abolished? Rhondaparkinson.com Publish Date not stated June 4, 2011 http://www.rhondaparkinson.com/canadiansenatefuture.htm (No author) “Harper 's anti-democratic senate appointments” Progressiveproselytizing.blogspot.com May 18, 2011. June 4, 2011 Cbc News June 5, 2011. June 5, 2011 http://www.cbc.ca/news/yourcommunity/2011/06/senate-reform-should-there-be-constitutional-agreement.html Worth, Garry. “Senate appointments show Harper’s true colours” Kamloops News June 1, 2011. June 5, 2011 Postmedia News – Ottawa Citizen May 19, 2011. June 5, 2011 http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/Premiers+attack+Harper+over+Senate+appointments/4808777/story.html Sun Media. “Attendance records show Canadian senators are lax” Belleville Intelligencer 2009, unspecified. June 6, 2011 http://www.intelligencer.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?archive=true&e=1147607.html