The Canadian Senate 
The History and Structure of the Senate

by Rhonda Parkinson


The Canada West Foundation, a Calgary-based think tank, recently released recommendations to the federal government for reducing western discontent. Two of the ten recommendations concerned the Senate. But discontent with the state of Canada's second chamber is not confined to the west. Until the controversy erupted over the federal government’s same-sex marriage bill, Liberal MPs planned to discuss Senate reform at their annual August caucus retreat.

Like a national daycare program, Senate reform occasionally appears on the political landscape, only to fade away without any substantive changes being made. Since the 1960s, several reform proposals have been put forth. Nonetheless, the Senate's structure remains virtually unchanged since the Fathers of Confederation decided to follow the example of most British North American colonies by establishing a Parliament with two chambers.