Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall introduced a government motion Wednesday that calls for the abolition of the Canadian Senate.
Premier Wall said he believes most Saskatchewan people think that the Senate no longer serves a useful purpose and is not worth the nearly $100 million taxpayers’ dollars it costs each year.
“Long before the current scandals which have further marginalized the Senate as a useful institution, many were questioning the relevance of an appointed group of men and women, unelected and unaccountable, potentially standing in the way of an elected House of Commons,” he said. “As it has become clear that reform is not possible, abolition has become the preference of Saskatchewan people.”
The government motion simply reads: “That this Assembly supports the abolition of the Senate of Canada.”
There was no doubt that the motion would pass. Premier Wall’s governing Saskatchewan Party has a strong majority in the legislature, and the official opposition NDP also support abolition.
“Saskatchewan families have good Saskatchewan common sense – they are not amused by the high cost of supporting senators’ lifestyles, and they’re outraged by the scandals of the Senate,” said NDP leader Cam Broten.
Broten said Wednesday’s vote should be a starting point for the province, which should now work to convince other premiers and Ottawa to follow suit.
Premier Wall said the motion is not a constitutional amendment, but simply a statement of Saskatchewan’s official position on the Senate.
“The Supreme Court will be ruling on what exactly is required constitutionally to abolish the Senate,” he said. “We want to wait until that ruling before considering whether to go ahead with introducing a constitutional amendment that would, of course, need the support of other provinces and the federal government.”
Premier Wall said while he had long been a proponent of Senate reform, he no longer believes meaningful reform is possible and instead, the Senate should be abolished.
Saskatchewan’s previous position on the Senate was that its members should be elected rather than appointed by the Prime Minister.
Across the border, Manitoba has had an all-party position since 2006 that the Senate be abolished, Premier Greg Selinger told the Winnipeg Free Press.
Nova Scotia has also said that the Senate should be abolished.
Federally, Churchill MP Niki Ashton has been a strong proponent of scrapping the Senate, even if that means defunding the contentious upper chamber.
Controversy around the Senate has heightened in recent months due to spending scandals involving three Conservative senators, including former CTV journalist Mike Duffy.
– Compiled from Government of Saskatchewan and Saskatchewan NDP Caucus news releases, with files from The Reminder archives
Brad Wall
