OTTAWA, June 22 (UPI) -- Canadian Conservatives have introduced legislation to reform the system of appointed senators and drawn threats of Supreme Court challenges.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper's party introduced the bill in Ottawa Tuesday, two days before Parliament recesses for the summer. It drew swift criticism from opposition parties and provincial officials, the Globe and Mail reported.
The bill calls for provinces to recommend Senate appointments, presumably from elections. It also imposes 9-year term limits on senate positions for future appointments, but wouldn't be retroactive to senators named before October 2008.
Canada's senate is akin to Britain's House of Lords, all of whom are appointed on a partisan basis. Canadian senators can now serve until the mandatory retirement age of 75.
The leader of the opposition, socialist New Democratic Leader Jack Layton told the Toronto Star his party unsuccessfully tried earlier this year to hold a national referendum on scrapping the Senate altogether. He said the Conservatives were on the wrong track with reform.
"It's going to be one ugly scene and … we will spend $100 million a year feeding this beast which will, by and large, stand in the way of democracy in this country," Layton said.
Interim federal Liberal leader Bob Rae, also the former premier of Ontario, told the Star Senate reform would require consent from all 10 provinces and three territories.
"The Senate is a child of the Constitution of Canada. It doesn't belong to Stephen Harper," Rae said. "It's all nonsensical."
Provincial officials in Ontario and Quebec, the two most populous provinces, also told the newspapers they oppose the legislation.
