Three senators - Pamela Wallin, Mike Duffy and Patrick Brazeau - were suspended from the Senate of Canada on Nov. 5.
Three senators - Pamela Wallin, Mike Duffy and Patrick Brazeau - were suspended from the Senate of Canada on Nov. 5. Motions to strip the three senators of everything except their titles and benefits were approved, marking the first time in 150 years in the history of the upper chamber that this occurred.
The contentious issue is still having an effect across the nation, especially at the provincial level, when Premier Brad Wall introduced a government motion calling for the Senate of Canada to be abolished on Nov. 6.
"Generally, this was a tough decision for the other senators, they had struggled with it for quite some time," said Ed Komarnicki, MP for Souris-Moose Mountain. "There were three different motions on the floor, since they had to deal with each senator separately."
"The Prime Minister wanted them gone, he didn't want them on the public payroll anymore," said Komarnicki. "But there were some who argued that the senators should have had their due process in court."
Komarnicki, who is a lawyer and will return to that position after the 2015 federal election, said that there would have been merit in allowing the three senators their day in court.
"They should have had the opportunity to present documents and call witnesses, so I would have handled it differently by giving them a court process through civil court," noted Komarnicki.
He also added that since the Senate has dealt with the civil case by suspending the three senators, that it is impossible for the senators to appeal the decision.
"The Senate imposes a sentence based on the facts presented, but they didn't have the full side of the story by the particular individuals involved," said Komarnicki.
"You could feel the struggle in the air when the other senators had to deal with this, and it was a difficult blow to the three senators affected," said Komarnicki.
There is still the investigation by the RCMP into criminal charges for the three senators, but those charges would be given due process through the criminal courts.
In the provincial Legislature, Premier Wall said he believes most Saskatchewan people think that the Senate no longer serves any useful purpose and is not worth the nearly 100 million taxpayers' dollars it costs each year.
"Long before the current scandals which have further marginalized the Senate as a useful institution, many were questioning the relevance of an appointed group of men and women, unelected and unaccountable, potentially standing in the way of an elected House of Commons," said Wall. "As it has become clear that reform is not possible, abolition has become the preference of Saskatchewan people."
The government motion simply read: "That this assembly supports the abolition of the Senate of Canada." Wall said the motion is not a constitutional amendment, but simply a statement of Saskatchewan's official position on the Senate.
"The Supreme Court will be ruling on what exactly is required constitutionally to abolish the Senate," said Wall. "We want to wait until that ruling before considering whether to go ahead with introducing a constitutional amendment that would, of course, need the support of other provinces and the federal government."
"We were the first to formally send such a strong symbol that the desire of our provincial government is to no longer have a Senate in Canada," said Dustin Duncan, MLA for Weyburn-Big Muddy. "During his speech, Premier Wall focused on some longer-term issues of having a Senate, and this just wasn't about what is happening currently in the senate this year."
Wall said while he had long been a proponent of Senate reform, he no longer believes meaningful reform is possible and instead the Senate should be abolished.
The motion was also supported by the NDP, who have pushed to abolish the unnecessary, unelected and unaccountable Senate for decades.
"As opposition leader, I have said I will cooperate when what the government is doing makes sense," said Cam Broten, leader of the NDP. "I'm pleased this government had landed in support of our position on the Senate, and will be very pleased to take a step toward concrete change today."
Taxpayers spend $100 million per year, each and every year, funding the Senate and the lifestyles of senators - money the NDP believes would be better spent on things that matter to Saskatchewan families, like better health care or investments in classrooms.
"Saskatchewan families have good Saskatchewan common sense - they are not amused by the high cost of supporting senators' lifestyles and they're outraged by the scandals of the Senate," said Broten.
He added that the cooperation between the NDP and the SaskParty should be a starting point for the government, which should work to convince other premiers and Ottawa to follow suit.
The motion and speeches made by the provincial government were sent as transcripts to Ottawa and other leaders across Canada. "Our motion of supporting abolishment might be the first of many of its kind," said Duncan.
"There is not a lot of willingness to move on reform from the other premiers."
Komarnicki believes that reform for the Senate can still occur, but it must occur in a real way. "My personal view is that abolishment is not supported by all the provinces. Logically, we have to hear from the Supreme Court, but support is not there for abolishment, we are not there by a long shot."
Tough sanctions may await other senators found in violation of spending rules in the future. "There will be clarification of what a senator can do, and not do, in regards to their expenses. There will also be a clearer definition of the regulations to be a senator, in regards to having to reside in your representative province," said Komarnicki. "So there is room for improvement."
