Editor: Re: Editorial — Senate shenanigans (The Times, June 12).
Canada’s upper chamber, when functioning properly, performs a very important regulating role. It protects Canada from the impulsive whims of the popular opinion of the day, and ensures that legislation from the House of Commons can be considered by citizens with the freedom afforded by being appointed rather than elected.
According to George Brown, a Father of Confederation, in setting up the Senate they wanted “to render the upper house a thoroughly independent body — one that would be in the best position to canvas dispassionately the measures of [the House of Commons] and stand up for the public interests in opposition to hasty or partisan legislation.”
Today it is needed more than ever, as the Christian view of man is now largely unknown in Canada. Society sees popular will as morally good and thus not in need of a check, especially by an unelected body such as the Senate.
Let’s clean it up and reform it, but abolishing the Senate because of improper expenditures is cutting off our nose to spite our face.
Bryan Grim,
Langley