For several days now, Senator The Honourable Céline Hervieux-Payette P.C. (Bedford), the Leader of Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition in the Senate, has openly suggested that honourable senators representing the Opposition may vote against—even defeat—the controversial Budget Implementation Act, 2007. In an act of surrender to his own party’s senators, The Honourable Stéphane Dion P.C. M.P. (Saint-Laurent—Cartierville), the Leader of Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition (having shown an unprecedented lack of leadership over the issue) gave the go-ahead for senators to take a “free vote” on the budget legislation.
Several senators have argued the fact that there is in fact precedent for the Senate of Canada to delay, and even defeat, budget legislation. In 1993, the Senate did just that—and, in fact, it was the Government of Canada in the Senate that led the charge against The Right Honourable Brian Mulroney P.C. C.C. G.O.Q., the 18th Prime Minister of Canada. While it’s a power rarely used, the Senate can, and does, defeat government bills, and this may be one such instance. Were the budget to be defeated in the Senate, the Government of Canada could continue to sit, since the Government is only responsible to the House of Commons.
Mr. Dion showed an extreme lack of leadership on the issue of the budget, when he suggested that senators had no choice but to accept the budget legislation, even if there were strong objections in the Upper House. Opposition senators openly ridiculed the leader’s comments, stating several instances of the Senate rejecting budget and other legislation, which begs the question—is the Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada paying attention to the world around him? I hope that the Liberal Party comes to realise that this Leader is a lost cause—and moves to remove him from the Liberal leadership.
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Several senators have argued the fact that there is in fact precedent for the Senate of Canada to delay, and even defeat, budget legislation. In 1993, the Senate did just that—and, in fact, it was the Government of Canada in the Senate that led the charge against The Right Honourable Brian Mulroney P.C. C.C. G.O.Q., the 18th Prime Minister of Canada. While it’s a power rarely used, the Senate can, and does, defeat government bills, and this may be one such instance. Were the budget to be defeated in the Senate, the Government of Canada could continue to sit, since the Government is only responsible to the House of Commons.
Mr. Dion showed an extreme lack of leadership on the issue of the budget, when he suggested that senators had no choice but to accept the budget legislation, even if there were strong objections in the Upper House. Opposition senators openly ridiculed the leader’s comments, stating several instances of the Senate rejecting budget and other legislation, which begs the question—is the Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada paying attention to the world around him? I hope that the Liberal Party comes to realise that this Leader is a lost cause—and moves to remove him from the Liberal leadership.
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- Click here for the Web site of The Globe and Mail (Dion allows Grit senators a free vote on budget).
