This isn't some standard "Harper-is-the-devil-incarnate" post. My main man Jean Chrétien used Senate appointments to reward party stalwarts all the time. That's what, at this moment in our history, the Senate is for.
Frankly, the current slate of ideas for Senate reform doesn't interest me. We don't need more government, especially elected government - democracy is too clouded for the casual follower as it is. Voting for the Senate every four years when we cast our ballots for the Commons would just increase the number of shrill, partisan voices in Parliament.
I could see the Senate being an effective chamber if the emphasis, as in the United States, was less on proportional representation and more on regional representation. Give every province ten senators - even PEI. What the hell? They're a province too. The US Senate has survived with California and Rhode Island being equal; we should remember that Canada is a confederation of provinces, not a unitary federal state.
Elect them for ten year terms. The purpose of the Senate is "sober second thought", so let's give them the democratic leeway for that sobriety. You might also find a lot more senators voting their conscience if they know they have a decade to make their mark.
A positive aspect of the Senate is that it is somewhat immune from the sudden surges of electoral politics. Only five years ago, we had a Liberal government, and the country hasn't changed so much that this reality should not still have a voice. With ten-year terms, the Liberal influence would eventually die out should they not rebound.
With this system, senators could truly be the senior statesmen they are supposed to be. The Senate can only delay, not block legislation, but there would be some moral weight behind their objections if they were elected.
As for Harper: this is a truly hypocritical move but I'm not in the least surprised. The mere fact that he appoints senators isn't remarkable, since there is currently no mechanism to elect them. But that he appointed three losing candidates - ouch.
That's a whole boatload of disrepect for democracy right there. Not that anybody will care, apparently, since a plurality of Canadians can't be bothered to find out what the Harper government has done to our civil institutions, and why it's a bad idea regardless of ideology.
But Steve! Don't you give a shit anymore? Think about your crystal-clean image!
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