The rise of the independent Senate, get used to it

The physician-assisted suicide bill served notice to the government that a true independent Senate is rising from the ashes of the traditional party-controlled Upper Chamber, and if the Senate continues to use these newfound freedoms responsibly, it will become an extremely useful component in the legislative process. It's a whole new world.

Senators on the National Security Committee, pictured in this file photo. Already sensitive to 'trained seal' comparisons, an independently acting Senate could further reinforce the analogy and the Prime Minister’s Office and House leadership will have to be extremely careful as they manage this element, writes Joe Jordan. The Hill Times photograph by Jake Wright

Opinion

BY JOE JORDAN

July 11, 2016

OTTAWA—Not only did the Senate’s treatment of Bill C-14, Medical Assistance in Dying, provide Canadians with a very thoughtful and refreshing level of debate on an important issue, it also served notice to the government that a true independent Senate is rising from the ashes of the traditional ...

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