If there is something that has irritated me more than anything else this summer, it has been the propensity of the media to entirely blow out of proportion the "crisis" currently facing the Senate of Canada. Out of 105 honourable senators, the expenses of four senators were flagged by the Senate's own existing internal processes for further auditing and scrutiny.
The work of the Senate -- including the publication of a number of hard-hitting reports criticizing the policies of Her Majesty's Government for Canada -- is being entirely overlooked by the mainstream media, which has been the typical strategy for how the affairs of the Upper House are dealt with.
The reality is that this entire matter has been dealt with adequately and appropriately by the existing internal processes of the Senate Standing Committee on Internal Economy, Budgets, and Administration, and the hard work of dedicated employees in the Senate Administration. These issues were red-flagged by staff, addressed by the Internal Economy Committee, audits were ordered, and now the process continues to unfold -- no external intervention was necessary for the Senate to hold these senators accountable. Senators, on both sides of the House, resolved to do so themselves.
And now, we have a situation where Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition in the House of Commons is demanding an audit of all senators' expenses, while maintaining that members of the House of Commons -- who are stewards of the $428,770,693 needed to operate the House of Commons for this fiscal year -- should not be subject to the same level of accountability and scrutiny as are our honourable senators. (It should be noted that they have also resisted calls to have the Auditor General look through the House's books, as he is set to do with the Senate.)
Are they concerned that a closer look at the House of Commons will draw attention back to a dysfunctional House of Commons? The fact that the elected House of Commons, and its complete inability to hold successive governments accountable, has become a bit of a joke compared to the actual research and discussion that happens at the Senate?
The work of the Senate -- including the publication of a number of hard-hitting reports criticizing the policies of Her Majesty's Government for Canada -- is being entirely overlooked by the mainstream media, which has been the typical strategy for how the affairs of the Upper House are dealt with.
The reality is that this entire matter has been dealt with adequately and appropriately by the existing internal processes of the Senate Standing Committee on Internal Economy, Budgets, and Administration, and the hard work of dedicated employees in the Senate Administration. These issues were red-flagged by staff, addressed by the Internal Economy Committee, audits were ordered, and now the process continues to unfold -- no external intervention was necessary for the Senate to hold these senators accountable. Senators, on both sides of the House, resolved to do so themselves.
And now, we have a situation where Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition in the House of Commons is demanding an audit of all senators' expenses, while maintaining that members of the House of Commons -- who are stewards of the $428,770,693 needed to operate the House of Commons for this fiscal year -- should not be subject to the same level of accountability and scrutiny as are our honourable senators. (It should be noted that they have also resisted calls to have the Auditor General look through the House's books, as he is set to do with the Senate.)
Are they concerned that a closer look at the House of Commons will draw attention back to a dysfunctional House of Commons? The fact that the elected House of Commons, and its complete inability to hold successive governments accountable, has become a bit of a joke compared to the actual research and discussion that happens at the Senate?
