Insenaty now!
Back in the 90's, there were Liberal senators who were known convicted criminals and still remained as senators. When the Reform Party brought this up, along with senate reform, not much attention was paid by the media about any of this really. The public was unaware and no one really did anything about it, not even the governing Liberals, until years later when the senate finally governed themselves on this long-standing issue.
Oh, but NOW, when three Conservative senators are on the boilerplate for varying issues, and the governing party immediately deals with the issues, now, NOW the media (lead by the CBC) and the NDP opposition get all hot and bothered and call to abolish the senate.
I'm not saying that Brazeau's alleged actions are justified but he has the right to due trial. With the PM immediately removing him from caucus and the Conservative senate majority putting him on-leave, that shows swift accountability by the governing caucus.
On former CTV journalists turned senators, Mike Duffy and Pamela Wallin, their lavish expense claims and residency issues aren't new to the senate's ongoing accountability problems.
You know though, right from the get-go seven years ago, Harper has made us all pay more attention to the senate on numerous occasions. By his first appointment of a floor crossing Liberal, then doing no appointments, then doing a record number of appointments, while at the same time trying to get provinces to elect senators in waiting, setting term limits, people have been paying way more attention lately, and so we call for more action to try and reform the upper chamber.
Sometimes I wonder if these senator issues now aren't a blessing in disguise to the master plan of either abolishing the senate and starting over or Harper's incremental plan of changing it without opening the constitution.
In the meantime, I want insenaty now! Insenaty now!
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