Not Again !!
Long time readers will know what I think about Canada’s Senate – but for those of you who may be of a more recent vintage …
I view the Senate of Canada as a somnambulistic warehouse full of Hacks, Flacks and Ne’er Do Wells.
Take Tory Senator Mike Duffy for instance and Liberal Senators Mac Harb and Patrick Brazeau and countless others no doubt.
These gentlemen and I use the term loosely, all have resided for years in and around Ottawa but since their appointments to the August Institution have been charging Taxpayers 10s of thousands of dollars each year for ‘living away’ …here in Ottawa.
And let’s be clear here – the rules of the Senate – not surprisingly, do not specifically prohibit such claims, but the spirit of those rules certainly do. In other words, it is left to the individual Senator to look to his or her own conscience to determine whether such a claim is appropriate under the circumstances. And obviously, for the three distinguished selves above, they have a questionable inner guide.
Sometimes you hear that “there are some Senators that do good work” and indeed there are. To them, I would say, join a Think Tank and do your unelected good work off the Taxpayer’s teat and on your own merits.
Then the are several other distinguished Senators who have joined a Speakers’ Bureau – including ‘the Duffy’ as Mike Duffy so affectionately likes to refer to himself as. For the paltry sum of $8- 10 K these denizens of Canada will deign attend your private event and share with you some of their great Senatorial Wisdom.
In this case, the Senate Rules rightfully prohibit such a practice but even if the rules did approve – it would be wrong for anyone in Parliament – paid by the public purse, being able to cash in on their public persona. Once retired – go nuts and charge the moon and that is what I would suggest all Honourable Senators do – retire.
Finally, just a quick word about an Elected Senate – Triple E or whatever. Don’t do it. It would be just another expensive layer – even more expensive than the current double R Senate – Rotten and Redundant. An Elected Senate would continue to be just as Redundant and we would end up with the impasses witnessed below the 49th Parallel.
As I see it…
‘K.D. Galagher’
