Senate reform - my point of view

I have said it in the past and I will say it again.... the Senate serves a purpose ..... like it or not we need a Senate .... we vote into power a group of incompetent individuals to represent us in the House of Commons every election. We only have to look at the last federal election to see that folks were so fed up that they actually elected NDP candidates who never even campaigned. Do you really want these people making decisions on your behalf and to do so without a safety net?

Right now you have this group of idiots deciding your life backed by a stacked Senate of equal stupidity....

A senate would or should ensure the bills are reasonable and would pass scrutiny by the Supreme Court and circumvent elected official stupidity.

The various parties want the Senate revised or eliminated. The Conservatives want a Senate similar to America while the NDP want it eliminated and the Liberals want it to remain but with minor revisions.

The only reason the NDP want it eliminated is that it never served their purpose. The Conservatives want it to be an elected Senate so there is a strong possibility they can control the upper house while the Liberals still believe that they can eventually regain control if it remains as a nominated or patronage posting.

Senators are supposedly there to represent their respective Province ..... Really? In most instances they no longer live there but may retain a cottage or a family home that is not their principal residence.

Senators are appointed. Not by their Province but by the Prime Minister. They have no Provincial allegiance other than having been born there. Their allegiance is to the party. If the party platform is not in the Provinces best interest the Senator does not give a s#!t .... the party line rules.

I suggest that Senators be nominated by the Provinces rather than elected and they must serve a minimum of 15 years before being eligible for a pension. A committee should be set up consisting of all parties to vet Senators before they can enter the house. Senators and elected officials must be answerable to the voter and their expenses should be made public.

By insisting a Senator serve 15 years before being eligible for pension it would reduce the possibility of having two or more Senators on pension and one sitting which would reduce the burden on taxpayers. At the present time a Senator can step down and still be eligible for pension. A good example of this would be Senator Brazeau who is appointed to a limited term by the Harper government. Should Senator Brazeau resign before being ousted or found guilty of an indictable crime he will still be eligible for his Senate pension ..... so much for the Harper tough on crime policy.

The rules of the Senate should be revised so that a Senator may be ousted from the Senate, without pension, for any indictable offense or for a breach of trust.