senate
Why we have a Senate

The Senate is the “upper house” of Canada’s Parliament. Its 105 members are not elected. Rather they are appointed to serve until age 75. When they retire, die in office, or quit, replacements are chosen by the Prime Minister of the day, and are appointed by the Governor General.

Legally, the Senate is as powerful as the House of Commons.No legislation becomes law without the consent of the Senate, and nothing legally compels the Senate to grant its consent.

It can initiate its own legislation and may veto Commons legislation indefinitely. [Click onexample to the right to see larger image]

The Senate was not an afterthought or a decoration. When Canada’s founders first met in 1864, they spent more time discussing the Senate than anything else, and of the 72 resolutions which founded Canada, 11 concerned the role, powers and selection of the Senate. [Click here to see Quebec resolutions]

The founders wanted the future Senate to use its power in two ways – to ensure that the government does what Canadians want done, and to represent provincial rights and interests in Parliament. Provincial and territorial representation is the only reason for the Senate indicated in the Constitution itself. [See Constitutional text]

Senate representation for each province varies widely, but is – by design – almost equal among the country’s four major regions. [Click to see table of Senate representation by province]

See also what Prime Minister Stephen Harper has said about the purpose of the Senate. [Click on image tothe right toview larger size].

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