Another disappointment of our electoral system and its current players

Mar 29, 2011 14:16

We currently have an appointed upper house. (Some people think that it would make sense to either abolish it or have elected senators.) The senators do useful work looking at bills in committee and having hearings and stuff, but they generally don't vote down legislation passed in the House of Commons and I think they aren't allowed to introduce bills.

The prime minister (the head of the leading party in the House of Commons) recommends senate appointments and the governor-general (the Queen's non-partisan delegate) signs them.

In the past, some prime ministers have recommended members of other parties for senate seats. But things are so adversarial these days, and votes in the House of Commons are so close, that I think there's no way either a Conservative or Liberal prime minister would risk a Senate appointment on an independent or opposition politician.

Which is a real pity. Because Peter Milliken, the longtime Liberal MP from Kingston and the Islands who is just retiring after many years as the Speaker of the House of Commons, would make a wonderful Senator. He's both funny and fussy, and he cares passionately about doing things right.

This entry was crossposted from my journal on Dreamwidth, at
http://hobbitbabe.dreamwidth.org/991176.html, where there are currently
comments.
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