He Feels His Idealism Slipping Away

If the Liberals got into power again before Senate reform was possible, would the Conservative Senators in office give up their seat simply because their self-imposed eight-year limit was up? Not a snowballs chance in Tahiti. There is no way they would leave their seat to be snatched up again by the Liberals.

So where would that leave us? Well, nowhere really. Except we’d have a whole lot more unelected, unaccountable Conservative Senators...

Let me intensify your despair, Raphy. Deep down, Harper likes the Senate just as it is. He gets to pass silly "tough on crime" measures, blame the Liberals when they go nowhere in the upper house, and reintroduce them later. The same chunk of red meat gets thrown to the bubbas again and again, see? Assuming the current government sticks around long-enough to attain a Senate majority, watch all these symbolic gifts to the base mysteriously disappear. Because Harper would have to actually think about the consequences of his legislation.

Then Make It Vanish

From CBC:

If his government's efforts to reform the Senate are stymied, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Tuesday, the upper chamber should be abolished.

As an Ontarian and a city-dweller, there's nothing in a Triple-E Senate for me. Given the various deviations from rep. by pop. that already dilute my vote in favor of rural ridings, why would I want to see MORE power shifted West and into the hills? So bring it on, Stevie, bring it on.

Except that, of course, abolishing the Senate as much as reforming it would require a constitutional amendment and the consent of all ten provinces, so that's not a go either. If the country is still here, the Senate will still be here, and in its current form, the day our sun goes supernova.

(And of course Harper's plan for an elected Senate is a crock)

The Air Goes Out Of That Tory Trial Balloon

Quebec does not support the Tories' "plan" for an "elected" Senate. The "plan" requires the Feds to :

...conduct a form of plebiscite [in concert with Federal elections], likely only within provinces that have Senate vacancies.

The results would be presented as information to a prime minister to consider when filling a vacancy.

However, Quebec's resident constitutional expert, Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Benoit Pelletier, argues that you would have to open the Constitution to even effect such small changes to Senate election procedures as Stephen Harper is proposing.

This news is from a couple of days ago, but I have seen nothing since in the MSM or in the blogosphere. I assume this is because nobody really expected this particular Conservative plan to go anywhere, not even its supporters. Because if you have both Quebec and Ontario against a scheme, which you do in this case, it's dead. I assume it was a trial balloon sent aloft by the Stephen Harper government to draw fire and ink and given the illusion of progress on an issue near and dear to the heart of the party's political base. People like Andrew Coyne should feel betrayed.

But the bottom line is: in Quebec they will never be able to vote for Mitsou, and I will never be able to vote for Galactus. Furthermore, it means my own Senate hopes are effectively dead. Luckily I didn't order up posters yet.