Canadian Senate Reform Proposals

Paper Summary:

The paper discusses the various major proposals for the reform of Canada's unelected upper house and whether or not they are feasible with the confines of Canada's political culture and constitutional framework. Discussed are various "Triple-E" proposals, such as the Alberter Committee, the Molgat-Cosgrove Report, the Macdonald Commission and others.

From the Paper:

"The Molgat-Cosgrove Report, the Macdonald Commission, and the Beaudoin-Dobbie Report all oppose equality of provincial representation in the Senate (Stillborn, Senate Reform Proposals, 18-19). They argue that an equal number of seats for every province would cause gross disparities, over representing the smaller provinces and in turn, under representing the more populace ones. They all suggest that equality adjusted by population should be the principle on which to base seat distribution. Though the Beaudion-Dobbie Report contin-ues to say that "distribution should seek to balance requirements of this principle against the need for enhanced representation for people living in the smaller provinces". "

More papers on Canadian Senate Reform Proposals:

• Argumentative Essay # 102429 : "Current Senate Reform Proposals"
• Analytical Essay # 132287 : "The Senate's Conservative Reform Proposals"
• Essay # 4880 : "The Canadian Senate in the Democratic Age"

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