Senators subject to term limits under bill

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This article was published 29/05/2009 (6217 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

OTTAWA — Senators would be limited to eight-year terms under legislation introduced by the Conservatives.

Manitoba cabinet minister Steven Fletcher, the minister of state for democratic reform, said Canadians believe it’s time to modernize Parliament’s upper chamber.

"Placing term limits on senators is one of the important steps to making the Senate worthy of a 21st century institution," Fletcher said.

Currently, senators can serve until the mandatory retirement age of 75.

Fletcher said that means theoretically, a person could be in the Senate for 45 years because the minimum age for being appointed to the Senate is 30.

The bill was introduced in the Senate Thursday. It will be debated in the House of Commons only if it passes the upper chamber first.

This is the second time the Conservatives have tried to get term limits in the Senate. The first bill, introduced in 2006 also in the Senate, wasn’t passed. The Liberals in the Senate, who hold the majority of votes, wanted the issue studied by the Supreme Court to ensure the government was within its constitutional rights to introduce term limits in the Senate.

Manitoba Liberal Senator Sharon Carstairs said she likes the idea of term limits but said eight years is too short.

"I think 12 or 15 years is more reasonable," she said.

She also said, however, the bill is unconstitutional because the government cannot make substantive changes to the Senate without consulting the provinces. Fletcher denied that.

Several provinces — Quebec being the most vocal — have threatened court action to prevent changes to the Senate without provincial consultation.

Manitoba held public hearings on Senate reform. MLA Erna Braun, chair of the committee that hosted the hearings, said the responses varied from abolishing the Senate to introducing elected senators and imposing various term limits.

mia.rabson@freepress.mb.ca

 

Manitoba senators

Sharon Carstairs

Party affiliation: Liberal

Appointed: Sept. 15, 1994

Mandatory retirement date: April 26, 2017

Maximum years of service: 23

 

Maria Chaput

Party affiliation: Liberal

Appointed: Dec. 12, 2002

Mandatory retirement date: May 7, 2017

Maximum years of service: 15

 

Janis Johnson

Party affiliation: Conservative

Appointed: Sept. 27, 1990

Mandatory retirement date: April 27, 2021

Maximum years of service: 31

 

Mira Spivak

Party affiliation: Independent

Appointed: Nov. 17, 1986

Mandatory retirement date: July 12, 2009

Maximum years of service: 23

 

Terry Stratton

Party affiliation: Conservative

Appointed: March 25, 1993

Mandatory retirement date: March 16, 2013

Maximum years of service: 20

 

Rod Zimmer

Party affiliation: Liberal

Appointed: Aug. 2, 2005

Mandatory retirement date: Dec. 19, 2017

Maximum years of service: 12