Imagine if a public-opinion survey were held to ask Canadian taxpayers if they wanted more senators. To many (if not all) voters, it would be a classic exercise in futility, especially given recent tales of a Mexico-based senator who rarely showed up for what passes for senatorial work.
Rather than clamoring to spend more money to hire more unelected politicians, it’s a safe bet that most people would split into two camps – those wanting to abolish the Senate altogether, and those who would merely decimate its membership.
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Yet a respectable Alberta-based “think tank” recently made a plausible argument for increasing the number of senators with which the nation is, so to speak, blessed.
In a provocative study paper, senior officers of the Canada West Foundation suggest that Alberta and certain other provinces elect shadow senators who would imitate the work of the real, formally appointed, senators.
The rationale is that a “triple E” senate (equal, elected, effective) would give each province 10 senators who would genuinely represent that province, rather than whatever federal prime minister handed them their patronage appointments.
By the standard of equal representation, the study argues, Alberta has a “senatorial deficit” of four members since it currently has only six senators. By the same token, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and British Columbia also have a “deficit” of four senators each.
To pressure national politicians to move toward an equal and elected Senate, the study suggests that Alberta (and presumably other provinces with a “deficit”) elect four shadow senators who would set up Ottawa offices to represent their province, issue news releases, hold press conferences and perform other political rituals.
Why? “If Alberta has to wait for Ottawa to make the first move or even get its permission, Albertans will likely have to wait forever to elect their senators. Only a strong provincial initiative will get the ball rolling.”
What about the cost? “If the new senators took their job seriously, it would be good value for the money, and certainly better value than Albertans get now.”
Given the many millions currently being spent on maintaining the appointed Senate, it would seem reasonable to provide a relatively few hundreds of thousands to make it more effective. Elected shadow senators, with a mandate directly from the public, would have significantly greater moral authority than the incumbents.
Unfortunately, no academic theory is likely to overcome the distaste with which the Senate is currently viewed.
