Think twice

Senate reform is making headlines again with word last week that the Harper government has asked the Supreme Court to rule on whether proposals such as holding elections for senators and imposing term limits are constitutional.
Also on the table is the option of abolishing the Senate altogether.
That latter idea might generate the most cheers among Canadians—given the litany of blatantly partisan appointments, expense scandals, questionable junkets, and laughable attendance records over the years—but we need to think twice before unceremoniously dispatching this chamber of “sober second thought” to the dustbin of history.
The Fathers of Confederation wisely understood the potential danger of too much power resting in the hands of the House of Commons and devised an appointed Senate as a necessary check against it. And while many today—some 146 years later—may not consider the Senate to be particularly effective, it is a role that must not be simply shrugged off.
Just as no one in 1867 could have foreseen how Canada would look in 2013, a decision that may seem to make sense at this point in time could have disastrous ramifications decades from now. And that includes seemingly straightforward proposals for senate elections and term limits.
The better route is to shake the apathy that allowed the Senate to sink to its current level of disrepute and instead demand it act how it initially was envisioned: as an august body above the partisan fray tasked with ensuring legislation is in the best interest of Canada over the long term.
At the very least, proposed reforms or outright abolition must not rest with the unilateral whims of Parliament. Overhauling one of our political institutions requires careful thought and reflection—and certainly must only be done as a Constitutional amendment requiring the approval of seven provinces representing 50 percent of the population.
That formula is a necessary safeguard, too, against actions that may not stand the test of time.