The Senate was designed to do one thing well: provide sober second thought

Canada does not need a reimagined Senate. It does not need constitutional experimentation disguised as reform. And it certainly does not need an Upper Chamber that contributes to legislative backlog while criticizing the government for doing the same. It needs a Senate that understands its role and has the discipline to perform it.

The Senate Speaker's Parade arrives at the Senate Chamber to be sworn in on Sept. 25, 2024. Since 2015, Canadians have been promised that a more 'independent' Senate would improve legislative review. Instead, what has emerged is a Chamber that is less disciplined, less coordinated, and increasingly unable to manage its own workload. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Opinion

BY KELLY PATRICK

April 20, 2026

OTTAWA—The Senate of Canada was designed to do one thing well: provide sober second thought.

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