Editor:
Federal Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau has made a bold move in his release of Liberal senators from the party caucus, while members of the Conservative party are dismissing the significance.
Trudeau makes the point that the Senate is broken and needs to be fixed and, given recent media reports, police enquiries and public sentiments, the Canadian public agrees.
Also in agreement for Senate reform are members of both the Conservative and New Democratic parties.
There is, however, no consensus, nor even a mature discussion, on how to affect any reforms. The Conservatives favour an elected Senate and the NDP would abolish it altogether.
The Senate model, with its partisan wrangling over short-term power struggles, has usurped the original intention of providing sober second thought as a counterbalance to parliamentary decisions.
As an aside, it is worth noting there are no NDP senators to help balance upper-chamber debates.
The Conservatives are right when they state no immediate changes in Senate function are forthcoming.
Trudeau’s disentanglement transcends the immediate and does not require the lengthy, angst-ridden, costly and complicated constitutional changes that would accompany abolishment proceedings or triple-E status as proposed by the other parties.
Senators with Liberal hearts, as well as those with Conservative hearts, will still apply their world views to the debates of the day and short-term changes will be hard to notice.
But, over time, with senators unfettered by the election cycle fears of Parliament, perhaps we can begin to see a relevant function in the form of independently applied wisdom from within the Red Chamber.
Perhaps at some point we can even appreciate NDP views among Senate debates.
In context of today’s political realities, Trudeau’s release of Liberal senators from the caucus is a practical, intelligent move that disrupts the current mechanics of appointment and allegiance.
It demonstrates bold new thinking, savvy politics and intellectual weight.
I appreciate the new thinking and the fact somebody actually stepped forward and did something.
Peter Mutrie
Kamloops
