Senators (and no I’m not referring to the NHL hockey team) have been playing games in Ottawa. Now I know that the Senate is probably the most disrespected political institution in Ottawa — and it may seem that I’m piling on with my criticism of the Senate. But consider the following facts:

As of May 18th the Senate has spent a total of 353 days debating a bill that will restrict the terms of senators to eight years. Senators are not elected (that may change soon) they are appointed. And senators serve until they are 75 years old. They are accountable to no one. But this bill (Bill S-4) only affects new senators, so why are the Liberal senators fighting so hard to keep this piece of legislation from becoming law?

There are two reasons why Liberal senators are opposed to limiting their term in Canada’s “Chamber of Sober, Second Thought” to eight years. First, they know Bill S-4 will inevitably lead to an elected Senate, with legitimate (i.e. elected) senators and illegitimate ones (i.e. appointed patronage hacks). Democratization of the Senate will put pressure on appointed senators to leave their jobs.

The second reason why Liberal senators are stalling the bill: They are upset at getting caught wasting taxpayers’ money. In September of 2006, four senators and three support staff spent a week at a swanky hotel in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates. Their hotel bill alone cost you the taxpayer $30,000.

The senators waited at this luxurious hotel in hopes of getting into Afghanistan for a “fact finding tour.” However, before the senators even left Canada, the military advised the senators that there was little chance of getting them into Kandahar for security reasons.

All of the above reasons reinforce why Canada needs an elected, accountable Senate, where senators can be voted out when they abuse the public trust.

I’m Brad Trost, your MP for Saskatoon-Humboldt, I welcome your feedback, contact my offices anytime. You can contact my office at (306) 975-6133.