"For the first time since Confederation, “we have robust bicameralism in Canada,” said Peter Harder, the government’s representative in the Senate. "This is not always comfortable for the government or for the government representative. But I believe it is good for the public, and for public policy.”
"The 30 Conservative senators, almost all of whom were appointed by Stephen Harper, reject the reforms, saying they undermine the Westminster system of having governing and opposing parties in both chambers. If Mr. Scheer becomes prime minister and carries out his plan, the Senate will once again become partisan and patronage-ridden, with the senators of the governing party under the thumb of the Prime Minister’s Office. The Senate will return to being useless.
"But if the Conservative Leader embraced the Liberal approach, balancing the independent progressives appointed on Mr. Trudeau’s watch with independent conservatives, the Senate would evolve into a chamber of highly qualified individuals from all walks of life, sharing a range of political perspectives but a common will to examine and, where necessary, amend legislation, while always deferring to the elected members of the House of Commons in the end.
"The Constitution and recent Supreme Court rulings have rendered it impossible to reconstruct or abolish the Senate. Ignore all arguments to the contrary; they are not grounded in fact. Improving the selection process is all we’ve got. The current approach is working. The next government should help make it work better."
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