He has to admit he was warned. The only people cheering the current dumb idea are the sycophants around him. Prime Minister Trudeau cannot use elitism to choose elites. Canadian senators need to be reasonably experienced politicos. And who knows politicos best but their own political parties. That is why the prime minister of the day is expected to choose new senators.
And the system worked reasonably well until Stephen Harper screwed it up by being careless. He made the mistake of choosing his favourite journalists based on their loyalty to him but not their ethics. He started them off by showing them how to beat the system. He told a Torontonian to be from Saskatchewan and an Ottawa native to be from Prince Edward Island. They thought the system was there for them to use, not follow.
Now it is Justin Trudeau’s turn to screw up. Justin picked an unknown and inexperienced Member of Parliament from Peterborough to drive the parliamentary reform bus. She seems to lack the experience to realize that when someone offers to help you, you are polite enough to respond even if you are uninterested.
(By way of disclosure, the writer sent a letter to Minister of Democratic Institutions Maryam Monsef after her appointment offering to share some of his experience and expertise on voting systems with her office. She probably thought it was an employment application—which it was not. It is just that you keep questions such as that ambiguous in case the acceptance of your offer entails a large amount of expense. And we have been in that boat before.)
But before anyone had a chance to exchange ideas or thoughts on the subject, Canadians were presented with a hastily prepared solution to the senate question. Yes, there was a need for speed. We just did not need an obviously ill-conceived, thoughtless solution that is going to make the situation in the senate worse.
It is the same stupid solution Justin’s father came to back in the 1970s. He could not find anyone smarter than him to advise him so he made some very bad additions to the senate until he got some good political help. It was not that the politicos were smarter than Pierre Trudeau; they were more practical.
Until we rewrite Canada’s constitution, we need senators who know why they are there in the senate. Elite, apolitical people are not only a waste of time but they will make life difficult for our elected politicians who might not be very smart but are political. The senate is a house of sober second thought. That is not a happy home for smart, creative people. It is a happy home for people who understand political possibilities. That is why political has-beens, hacks and bag-men like the senate. And until we are willing to change the constitution, we should leave the damn place alone.
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Copyright 2015 © Peter Lowry
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