Dear Editor:
Re: Senate needs more than just an election, editorial, Burnaby NOW, Feb. 13.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper has been pressing ahead with legislation to implement a nine-year, non-renewable term limit on senators.
A term appointment would ensure a snappy turnover of Senate seats. These vacancies would allow a prime minister to fill them with people of the right political stripe.
The proposal for term appointments of senators is a blatant ploy by the prime minister's office to gain full control over the Senate.
Even so-called senatorial elections in the provinces would simply establish a vote-ranked list of candidates. The prime minister would retain the right to go down the list to pick an "elected" candidate of the right political stripe (not necessarily the top voted candidate).
So rather than bear the cost of a neutered Senate, we should simply abolish the upper chamber.
At least we have the option of voting out the scoundrels in the House of Commons.
Derek Wilson, via email
