New Democrats challenge Harper to set term limits on next round of Senate appointments

“As a minimum, a re-elected Conservative Government will reintroduce legislation to allow for nominees to the Senate to be selected by voters, to provide for Senators to serve fixed terms of not longer than eight years, and for the Senate to be covered by the same ethics rules as the House of Commons.”

– The True North Strong and Free: Stephen Harper’s plan for Canadians, 2008 Conservative Party Election Campaign Platform

OTTAWA—New Democrats today challenged Stephen Harper to, as a bare minimum, place enforceable term-limits on the next round of Senate appointments, a long promised policy of the Conservative Party.

“Mr. Harper’s record on Senate reform is long on rhetoric, and short on action,” said New Democrat Democratic Reform Critic David Christopherson (Hamilton Centre). “Making new Senators agree to an enforceable term limit, as Mr. Harper has repeatedly promised, would be a modest step toward Senate reform.”

Christopherson issued the challenge in advance of expected announcement by Mr. Harper to fill at least five Senate vacancies.

“Mr. Harper can’t keep committing to Senate reform on the one hand, while appointing his unaccountable friends with no strings attached on the other,” said Christopherson. “On democratic reform Mr. Harper promised he would be different from the Liberals, but he’s turning out to be no change at all.”

Mr. Harper once pledged never to appoint anyone to the Senate, an institution he called “a relic of the 19th Century." But since becoming Prime Minister, he has not only failed to make any changes to the Senate, he has earned the dubious distinction of appointing the most Senators in any one year, and on one day, in Canadian history. In total, Stephen Harper has made 29 Senate appointments, among who include Conservative Party fundraisers, campaign directors and failed candidates.

According to the Public Accounts of Canada, the total cost of the Senate was $81,578,043 in 2008-09. Each un-elected Senator cost Canadians approximately $384,857 last year.