Bill S-8: An Act Respecting the Election of Senators
28 April 2010 | Senate
Bill S-8 was introduced in the Senate by the Leader of the Government in the Senate and received first reading on 27 April 2010.
Senators are appointed to the Senate by the Governor General, acting on advice from the Prime Minister. Current practice is for a province or territory to submit a list of names to the Prime Minister, who should nominate individuals from that list.
Bill S-8 would require the Prime Minister to consider names from a list of nominees from the relevant province or territory, where such list is determined by an election held by the relevant province or territory. The Prime Minister would not be required to nominate the elected individuals, but there would be a political price to pay for not doing so.
The Bill does not require provinces and territories to hold elections for senate nominees. If a province or territory does not wish to hold such elections, it can continue to provide its own list to the Prime Minister.
The Bill also sets out a broad framework for the election of senate nominees in the provinces and territories. This framework, generally consistent with electoral practices in the provinces and territories, adds little to the Bill. Ultimately, whether and how the election of senate nominees is undertaken will be up to each province and territory.