Preston Manning has some tough words for senators: reform the Senate or prepare to see it abolished.
In a fiery open letter posted to his website, the founder of the Reform Party and former leader of the Canadian Alliance ripped into the upper chamber over its inability to adapt in the face of what he calls âpublic disgust.â
Four senators are embroiled in a raging scandal over allegations that they inappropriately claimed living and travel expenses.
Taxpayers currently contribute more than $100 million to the Senate each year but Manning writes that senators âcontinue to grievously abuse these provisions.â
âIf the Senate cannot properly govern itself, why should the public believe it should have a role in governing them?â Manning writes in his letter.
Speaking to CTVâs Power Play on Tuesday, Manning said the Senate needs to reform now or its days will surely be numbered.
âFrankly, I think if thatâs not done, if Canadians donât see a strong group within the Senate actively promoting its reform, thereâs going to be this demand for abolition and very few people to stand in its way,â he said.
The topic is nothing new for Manning, who has been an outspoken advocate for Senate reform for the last quarter century. But even long-time advocates are starting to harshen their tone, he said.
Theyâre now saying âSenate reform if possible, but if not possible, abolition,â Manning said.
The problem is âconscientiousâ senators are being discredited by the actions of a few âdelinquentâ senators, he added.
âI think the Senateâs got to disassociate itself from those folks,â he said, suggesting that embattled senators should resign or face expulsion.
âIf theyâre proven innocent later, reinstate them.â
The Senate was first introduced to keep the House of Commons in check with âsober second thoughtâ on bills and national issues. This hope has been âsuffocated by the stench of party patronage that clings to so many Senate appointees,â Manning writes in his letter.
The greatest weakness of the Senate, according to Manning, is that senators are unelected and unaccountable to electors.
The Senate, therefore, needs to become a democratically elected body, he said.
âYou canât judge the effectiveness of the Senate ⌠until the place is democratically accountable,â Manning told CTVâs Power Play. âThen make a judgement as to whether the institution adds something or not.â
In Alberta, more than three million votes have been cast in province-wide elections to select senators in 1989, 1998, 2004 and 2012.
The results, however, have largely been ignored, said Manning.
âThereâs been no recognition of that demand for democratizing the place,â Manning said.
And even senators have been surprisingly quiet on the issue of Senate reform, he said.
âWhereâs the proactive, reform-oriented coalition in that Senate itself? Itâs time for them to step forward,â he told CTVâs Power Play.
Manning refused to cast any blame on Stephen Harper, who appointed many of the senators currently caught up in controversy: Pamela Wallin, Mike Duffy and Patrick Brazeau.
âI think heâs frustrated,â said Manning.
He believes Harper appointed the senators to quietly carry out Senate reform.
âThe fact that thatâs not occurred, Iâm sure, is a source of frustration for him,â he said.