Over three days in October, a number of Conservative, Liberal, and independent senators met to discuss the need for the Senate to identify ways in which it can modernize itself to restore the public's trust and confidence in Canada's appointed upper house. The participating senators reached broad consensus on eleven general recommendations for the Senate to consider.
Do you think that these recommendations, if implemented, will help to make the Senate a more effective legislative body in our bicameral system? These changes could be implemented without resorting to any constitutional amendments, and many of these resolutions also align well with some of the changes that have already been brought about through some of the decisions of The Right Honourable Justin Trudeau P.C., M.P., Prime Minister.
You can review the entire working report here.
tl;dr of the recommendations:
Clarify the mission and purpose of the Senate. The Senate should clarify how its role as an appointed chamber can complement the work of the elected Commons. Namely, the Senate should (i) focus on "sober second thought" with a particular focus on national interests, aboriginal peoples, regions, minorities, and under-represented regions; (ii) focus on policy studies, reports, and inquiries on public issues; (iii) and focus on understanding, sharing, and representing views and concerns of different groups based on the senator's perspective.
Renew the Senate's focus on the role of its standing and ad hoc committees. The Senate should take advantage of the fact that its committees have more time to review issues of the national public interest than those of the elected Commons; the size, mandate, and composition of its standing committees should be reviewed; and the Senate should increase the communications budget for committees to ensure that the Senate can conduct effective outreach in promoting its work and the distribution of the key reports that it prepares to inform public policy debates.
Change how the Speaker of the Senate is selected. Currently, the Speaker of the Senate is appointed by the Governor General, on the advice of the Prime Minister. Instead, the Senate should elect a candidate by secret ballot as the Senate's nominee for Speaker, and that advice should then be provided to the Governor General, for an appointment of up to three years. Senators have studied this proposal, and the consensus seems to be that this would be consistent with s. 34 of the Constitution Act, 1867. The Senate could continue to appeal and overrule decisions of the Speaker (as opposed to the elected Commons, where nearly no decision of the Speaker is subject to appeal).
Change "question period" to "issues period." The Senate should reorient the existing question period to be used more predominantly to let senators pose questions to committee chairpersons about committee work, committee reports, and other issues facing standing and ad hoc committees. On occasion, the Senate should invite ministers and other parliamentary officers into the Senate chamber to answer senators' questions about government and parliamentary business.
Senators should refresh themselves on the purpose of the time for senators' statements. Currently, there are issues of senators' statements being used for rampant self-promotion and pet projects, instead of bringing the attention of the Senate to issues of the national public interest. The Senate should refresh its members on the rules for senators' statements, to ensure that time limits are respected and that other rules of the Senate are better enforced.
Tributes to Senators should be more restricted. There are some sittings where, currently, a good deal of the Senate's time is taken up with tributes to its own outgoing or retired members. The Senate should abandon the practice of lengthy tributes to outgoing or former senators and, instead, a simple statement of gratitude and farewell from the caucus leaders should suffice, and to have any other tributes take place off of official sitting time.
The officers of each Senate caucus should be elected. In order to better enforce the independence of the Senate caucuses from the political machinations of the elected Commons, and the executive branch, the members of each Senate caucus should be responsible for electing deputy leaders, party whips, etc. (whereas the current practice is that the Prime Minister appoints government caucus officers, and other caucuses' officers by the corresponding Commons party leaders).
The Senate should televise its proceedings.
Senators should occasionally meet as informal regional caucuses to discuss regional issues.
The Senate should change the way that the Order Paper works. Senators should not be allowed to adjourn debate on a Senate bill, private member's bill, or motion for up to 15 days only once. Currently, senators can adjourn the same item of business, over and over, without ever actually addressing the issue or making a conclusive decision on it.
The Senate should change the way that committee memberships are selected. Currently, the memberships of Senate standing and ad hoc committees is largely determined by the government and opposition leaders in the Senate (who, until very recently, were accountable to the party leaders in the elected Commons). The Senate as a whole, instead, should elect the Committee on Selection (responsible for nominating senators to other committees), and the Standing Committee on Internal Economy, Budgets & Administration (the governing body of the Senate) by secret ballot. This would give senators more independence from party leaders in determining committee memberships. Committee chairpersons should also be elected by the members of that committee.
Do you think that these recommendations, if implemented, will help to make the Senate a more effective legislative body in our bicameral system? These changes could be implemented without resorting to any constitutional amendments, and many of these resolutions also align well with some of the changes that have already been brought about through some of the decisions of The Right Honourable Justin Trudeau P.C., M.P., Prime Minister.
You can review the entire working report here.
tl;dr of the recommendations:
- Clarify the mission and purpose of the Senate to make its role clear to Canadians and senators.
- Renew the Senate's focus on the role of its standing and ad hoc committees.
- The Speaker of the Senate should be, essentially, elected by senators by secret ballot.
- Senate question period should be replaced with "issues period," to focus on committee work.
- Time for "Senators' Statements" should be used for issues of national public interest.
- Senators should not be permitted to make lengthy retirement tributes for outgoing senators.
- The officers of each Senate caucus should be elected by their respective Senate caucuses.
- The Senate should televise its proceedings, as the House of Commons does.
- Senators should be encouraged to meet as informal regional caucuses.
- The Senate rules of order should be changed to limit delaying consideration of motions.
- Committee chairs should be elected, and membership selection modernized.
Clarify the mission and purpose of the Senate. The Senate should clarify how its role as an appointed chamber can complement the work of the elected Commons. Namely, the Senate should (i) focus on "sober second thought" with a particular focus on national interests, aboriginal peoples, regions, minorities, and under-represented regions; (ii) focus on policy studies, reports, and inquiries on public issues; (iii) and focus on understanding, sharing, and representing views and concerns of different groups based on the senator's perspective.
Renew the Senate's focus on the role of its standing and ad hoc committees. The Senate should take advantage of the fact that its committees have more time to review issues of the national public interest than those of the elected Commons; the size, mandate, and composition of its standing committees should be reviewed; and the Senate should increase the communications budget for committees to ensure that the Senate can conduct effective outreach in promoting its work and the distribution of the key reports that it prepares to inform public policy debates.
Change how the Speaker of the Senate is selected. Currently, the Speaker of the Senate is appointed by the Governor General, on the advice of the Prime Minister. Instead, the Senate should elect a candidate by secret ballot as the Senate's nominee for Speaker, and that advice should then be provided to the Governor General, for an appointment of up to three years. Senators have studied this proposal, and the consensus seems to be that this would be consistent with s. 34 of the Constitution Act, 1867. The Senate could continue to appeal and overrule decisions of the Speaker (as opposed to the elected Commons, where nearly no decision of the Speaker is subject to appeal).
Change "question period" to "issues period." The Senate should reorient the existing question period to be used more predominantly to let senators pose questions to committee chairpersons about committee work, committee reports, and other issues facing standing and ad hoc committees. On occasion, the Senate should invite ministers and other parliamentary officers into the Senate chamber to answer senators' questions about government and parliamentary business.
Senators should refresh themselves on the purpose of the time for senators' statements. Currently, there are issues of senators' statements being used for rampant self-promotion and pet projects, instead of bringing the attention of the Senate to issues of the national public interest. The Senate should refresh its members on the rules for senators' statements, to ensure that time limits are respected and that other rules of the Senate are better enforced.
Tributes to Senators should be more restricted. There are some sittings where, currently, a good deal of the Senate's time is taken up with tributes to its own outgoing or retired members. The Senate should abandon the practice of lengthy tributes to outgoing or former senators and, instead, a simple statement of gratitude and farewell from the caucus leaders should suffice, and to have any other tributes take place off of official sitting time.
The officers of each Senate caucus should be elected. In order to better enforce the independence of the Senate caucuses from the political machinations of the elected Commons, and the executive branch, the members of each Senate caucus should be responsible for electing deputy leaders, party whips, etc. (whereas the current practice is that the Prime Minister appoints government caucus officers, and other caucuses' officers by the corresponding Commons party leaders).
The Senate should televise its proceedings.
Senators should occasionally meet as informal regional caucuses to discuss regional issues.
The Senate should change the way that the Order Paper works. Senators should not be allowed to adjourn debate on a Senate bill, private member's bill, or motion for up to 15 days only once. Currently, senators can adjourn the same item of business, over and over, without ever actually addressing the issue or making a conclusive decision on it.
The Senate should change the way that committee memberships are selected. Currently, the memberships of Senate standing and ad hoc committees is largely determined by the government and opposition leaders in the Senate (who, until very recently, were accountable to the party leaders in the elected Commons). The Senate as a whole, instead, should elect the Committee on Selection (responsible for nominating senators to other committees), and the Standing Committee on Internal Economy, Budgets & Administration (the governing body of the Senate) by secret ballot. This would give senators more independence from party leaders in determining committee memberships. Committee chairpersons should also be elected by the members of that committee.