Forum on Senate reform seeks to ignite national debate
12-May-2010The Canada West Foundation and the Centre for Public Policy & Law at York University held a joint forum on Senate reform on Wednesday, May 12.
The forum was held in response to the federal government’s initiative to reform the Senate through legislation rather than constitutional amendment. Panelists in Toronto, Calgary, Quebec and Atlantic Canada explored whether a consensus can be reached as to the purpose of a reformed Canadian Senate.
Archived webcasts by topic:
Balancing Power, Improving Policy
Roger Gibbins, President and CEO, Canada West Foundation
Matthew Mendelsohn, Director, Mowat Centre for Policy Innovation, University of Toronto
Report back: Robert Roach, Director of the West in Canada Project, Canada West Foundation; Les Jacobs, Director, York Centre for Public Policy and Law, York University
Representing Diversity
Lisa Young, Dept. of Political Science, University of Calgary
Jennifer Smith, Professor, Department of Political Science, Dalhousie University
André Blais Professor, Political Science, l’Université de Montréal
Report back: Robert Roach, Canada West Foundation; Ian Greene, York University
Strengthening Federalism
Casey Vander Ploeg, Senior Policy Analyst, Canada West Foundation
Dr. Lorna Marsden, York’s President Emeritus and Former Canadian Senator, York University
Hon. Dan Hays, Former Senator (Calgary)
“We’re trying to spark a national debate on this issue, and it’s important that we do this now, before the government begins to implement its Senate reform agenda announced in the recent Throne Speech,” says event co-organizer Ian Greene, professor in York’s School of Public Policy and Administration, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies.
Featured speakers:
- Peter Russell, Professor Emeritus, University of Toronto, and one of Canada’s leading constitutional experts
- Ian Brodie, former chief of staff, Prime Minster’s Office
- Roger Gibbins, President and CEO, Canada West Foundation, former head of the University of Calgary’s Political Science Department
- Matthew Mendelsohn, founding director of the Mowat Centre for Policy Innovation, University of Toronto, and former senior public servant
- Robert Roach, director of the Canada West Foundation’s West in Canada Project
- Lisa Young, Professor, Political Science and Associate Dean of Graduate Studies, University of Calgary, and a leading expert on political participation
- Jennifer Smith, Professor, Department of Political Science, Dalhousie University, and an expert on comparative federalism
- André Blais, Professor, Political Science, l’Université de Montréal; leading political scientist and prominent figure in Canadian elections studies
- Casey Vander Ploeg, Senior Policy Analyst, Canada West Foundation, who has worked with Stan Waters and Bert Brown, two of Canada’s first “elected” Senators
- Lorna Marsden, former senator and former president of York University, past president of the National Action Committee on the Status of Women
- Dan Hays, Chairman, Partner, Macleod Dixon LLP, and former senator
- Les Jacobs, Professor, Department of Political Science; Director, York University Centre for Public Policy & Law, and one of Canada’s leading professors in the field of law and society.
The forum used a discussion paper published by the Canada West Foundation as a jumping-off point. A New Senate for a More Democratic Canada details how senate reform might lead to improved policy, better representation of the diversity of Canadians, a balancing of power between parliament and the PMO, and strengthened federalism.
“This is the kind of discussion we need to mobilize public interest in proposals for Senate reform,” says Roger Gibbins, Canada West Foundation President and CEO. “Canadians need to understand why reform is back on the table. Focussing on issues like the appointment process and term limits is not likely to capture the imagination of Canadians. We run a serious risk of becoming prematurely bogged down in the details of reform without first convincing Canadians there is a need for it.”
Greene also hopes that the forum will help generate ideas to advance the quality of the debate around Senate reform.
“The debate has become far too mired in politics. We want to drill down to the issues that matter for Canadians: Why does a reformed Senate make sense, and what purpose would it serve? In the past, debates about Senate reform have tended to occur primarily in Western Canada. We need a national debate if we’re going to get Senate reform right,” Greene says.
Media contact for Calgary forum:
Grace Kucey
Communication Officer
Canada West Foundation
(403) 700-9535
communication@cwf.ca
Media contact for Toronto forum:
Melissa Hughes
Media Relations
York University
(416) 736-2100 x 22097
mehughes@yorku.ca
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York University is the leading interdisciplinary research and teaching university in Canada. York offers a modern, academic experience at the undergraduate and graduate level in Toronto, Canada’s most international city. The third largest university in the country, York is host to a dynamic academic community of 50,000 students and 7,000 faculty and staff, as well as 200,000 alumni worldwide. York’s 10 Faculties and 28 research centres conduct ambitious, groundbreaking research that is interdisciplinary, cutting across traditional academic boundaries. This distinctive and collaborative approach is preparing students for the future and bringing fresh insights and solutions to real-world challenges. York University is an autonomous, not-for-profit corporation.
Canada West Foundation is the only think tank dedicated to being the objective, non-partisan voice for issues of vital concern to western Canadians. For 40 years, through its research and commentary, the Foundation has contributed to better government decisions and a stronger Canadian economy.