I have been blogging here for several years mainly on Canadian and international affairs. Now I also blog at CommentIndia.com on matters relating to India and international issues.
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The Canadian Senate has been in the news for all the wrong reasons lately. Most senators do valuable work . There are a few whose arrogance and undeserved sense of entitlement legitimately angers Canadians.That diminishes whatever little credibility the body has in the eyes of most Canadians.
The Senate lost much legitimacy during the Preston Manning led Reform assault on it. Reform Party pushed for a"tripple e Senate", a concept based on the US model. It did not jibe with our system of government then. Nor does it today.
The first hurdle is our Constitution, a carefully crafted document that has withstood the test of time. The structure of the Senate is enshrined in it. It requires Seven Provinces with at least 51% of the population agreeing to change it. That is just the basic legal requirement.Other national imperatives dictate a much more substantial consensus bordering on unanimity.
I do not believe Quebec will agree to a relative weakening of its position any time soon. So there is no question of consensus