Released on November 6, 2013
Today in the Legislature, Premier Brad Wall will introduce a government motion calling for the Senate of Canada to be abolished.
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,” Wall said. “As it has become clear that reform is not possible, abolition has become the preference of Saskatchewan people.”
The government motion simply reads: “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,” Wall said. “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.”
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.
“That is also the official position of the Saskatchewan Party, it is the official position of the NDP and as a result, I would expect today’s motion to pass with support from both sides of the House,” Wall said.
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For more information, contact:
Kathy Young
Executive Council
Regina
Phone: 306-787-0425
Email: kathy.young@gov.sk.ca
Cell: 306-526-8927