Senate term limits bill revamped

The Conservative government has reintroduced a bill proposing eight-year Senate term limits, its fourth such attempt toreform the length of tenure for senators.

Stephen Fletcher, minister of state for democratic reform, says Canadians are"rightly questioning" how senators with "no democratic mandate" can sit for "up to 45 years."

"We agree with Canadians that it is time the Senate reflects the values of the 21st century," Fletcher said Monday ahead of the billbeing tabledin the House of Commons.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper has long advocated an elected Senate and term limits for those who hold seats there. Senators currently can serve until they reachage75, when they are required to retire.

If passed, the cap on termswould apply to all senators appointed since Oct. 14, 2008, which covers all senators appointed by Harper. The Conservatives' recent Senate appointees have made public pledges to serve for only eight years.

The previous incarnation of the government's Senate term-limits legislation died in second readingafter Harper's decision to prorogue Parliament, while two earlierbills calling for the same term limits also failed to pass.

'Big, hairy deal'

NDP democratic reform critic David Christopherson ridiculed the government's bill as insignificant, saying unelected senators are not democratic and therefore not accountable regardless of the length of their terms. He urgedthe Tories to get serious and"stop tinkering around the edges" of democratic reform.

"Big, hairy deal," Christopherson told reporters in Ottawa moments after Fletcher's announcement.

But Fletcher said the legislation is the first step in the Conservatives' plans for changing the Senate, while still maintainingits"essential characteristics" within Canada's parliamentary democracy. The second step will offer Canadians a direct voice in appointments, in an "election-like process," he said, although he would not provide moredetails.

Overhauling the Senate requires constitutional reform, which means the government would have to persuade seven provinceswith at least 50 per cent of the population that its plan is in the best interests of everyone. Making subtle changes is much easier, since the government only needs to get a bill through Parliament.

Earlier in the day, the Liberals dismissed a media report saying they hadreached an agreementwith the Conservatives on 12-year term limits for senators.The Opposition says it is against the idea of reforming the Senate unilaterallyand called on the government to either negotiate with the provinces or refer the question to the Supreme Court to validate its approach.