Given that any movement on Senate reform will undoubtedly trigger an extended constitutional debate, Fair Vote Canada called on the government to take two immediate actions.

First, Canadians should be asked in a referendum to decide whether the Senate should be abolished or elected. If the latter option is chosen, then several issues must be addressed concurrently: method of election, fair allocation of seats for the regions, and clarification of the roles and authority of the two chambers.

Second, the government should immediately proceed with introducing a fair and proportional voting system for election of the House. The Senate is often promoted as a chamber providing regional representation. If a fair voting system was used to elect the House of Commons, Canadians would have, for the first time, strong regional representation for all voters in the more powerful lower chamber which forms government.

FVC executive director Larry Gordon argued this case in a recent article in the influential Hill Times newspaper and during an interview, along with Senator Hugh Segal, on CBC New Network’s Power and Politics show. To see the Power and Politics segment with FVC’s Larry Gordon and Senator Hugh Segal, use this link and go to the 1:47 mark in the broadcast (it will take 15 to 30 seconds for the video to load).