November 26, 2013
Government of Manitoba Introduces Motion to Abolish the Senate
– – –Federal Government Urged to Begin Consultations with Provinces: Minister Swan
Attorney General Andrew Swan introduced a motion in the provincial legislature today urging the Government of Canada to begin consultations with provinces with the aim abolishing the Senate.
“In this province, we abolished the upper house in 1876,” said Minister Swan. “We’re calling on the Government of Canada to start negotiations with the provinces. It is time to get started on abolishing the Canadian Senate.”
Manitoba’s position includes the results of public hearings which took place in 2009 that heard overwhelming support from Manitobans for outright abolishment or reform, the Minister said.
The motion reaffirms the province’s position, further stating that today’s Senate too often serves partisan objectives rather than public interest and that any confidence Manitobans had in the upper house has been shaken due to the events of the past year.
In August of this year, Manitoba made a submission, known as a factum, which addressed the constitutional questions posed by the federal government to the Supreme Court of Canada. The province’s position was that Parliament does not have the constitutional authority to enact significant unilateral changes to the structure of the Senate or to the selection of its members.
The motion is expected to be put to a vote in the legislature later today.
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