It was an amusing op-ed the other morning in the Toronto Star by Bob Hepburn. Not only is Bob late to the lists but his suggestion regarding our governor general would complicate more than it resolved. I certainly agree with him that the role of governor general is something to be relegated to the past. The only problem is that Bob’s solution leaves us with fewer safeguards on our already challenged democracy.
As our Canadian constitution stands, when we elect a majority government, we are giving the leader of that government almost unlimited power. You might note that the supreme court is a potential barrier to unlimited power—but who do you think appoints members to that supreme court?
And don’t be so sure that Canadians might not elect a Trump-type leader? Yes, it took a lot of stupid Americans to elect Trump president—but since when did Americans have the sole franchise on stupidity?
I have heard it said that Americans have too many roadblocks to getting things done politically. With the complexities of a bicameral congress, a supreme court and a separate administration under a president, it is amazing what has been accomplished south of Canada sometimes.
But it is the undemocratic nature of the senates in both countries that cause the most problems. In Canada, the fact that the prime minister in the House of Commons appoints the senators, usually alleviates the problem. In the United States, the brazenly undemocratic nature of the Senate has a smell that indicates it is well past its date with updating.
The puzzle with the Canadian Senate is; why bother? It seems redundant for the senate to the examine the legislation coming from the commons when they are always controlled by the party in power. It seems that the people who wrote our constitution had their doubts about the trust-worthiness of our elected commoners as parliamentarians.
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Copyright 2021 © Peter Lowry
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