Read below for the government's submission on Senate reform to the Supreme Court of Canada. The hearing is scheduled for mid-November.
Pierre Poilievre, the minister of state for democratic reform, told reporters Wednesday that the government believes Parliament could decide on abolition without unanimous provincial consent. WATCH: Headline Politics
Government Factum on Senate Reform
►Bill C-7, introduced in 2011, remains at second reading in the House of Commons. It was last debated on Feb. 27, 2012.
Part One of the Senate Reform Act allows provincial governments to consult voters and pass along potential nominees for Senate appointments.
Provinces wouldn’t be required to participate, and any submitted names would not be binding. The prime minister would still make the final recommendation to the Governor General, who has the constitutional responsibility to appoint senators.
Senators appointed after the 2008 election would be subject to nine-year term limits from the date of the bill’s passing. The term is not renewable, and would not start over if interrupted, such as when Senators Fabian Manning and Larry Smith resigned in 2011 to unsuccessfully seek election to the House of Commons.
The retirement age would remain 75, regardless of when the Senator was appointed.
Here is the factum submitted by Ottawa to the Quebec Court of Appeal, which will conduct a separate review of the Senate reform plan in September:
Government Submission on Senate Reform to Quebec Court of Appeal
-Andrew Thomson
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