On average, women with endometriosis wait more than five years to get a diagnosis in Canada, and women with heart disease are still more likely to be misdiagnosed or dismissed compared to men.
Under the previous model, Senators affiliated with a party were accountable to a leader and a national caucus. Their legislative behaviour was often shaped by party strategy, electoral considerations, and message discipline.
Conservative Whip Chris Warkentin says it ‘seems’ that the budget of the Canada-U.S. Inter-Parliamentary Group will be slashed by 40 per cent.
Senators’ public bills represent about one-third of non-government legislation being studied by the House. Senator Percy Downe says the Upper Chamber has ‘to be more responsible,’ taking care not to ‘flood the House of Commons’ with these bills.
A genuine process of dialogue between the two Chambers must be developed to facilitate the serious yet efficient consideration of government legislation by the Senate.
The move to a more independent Senate—now coming on 10 years—has improved the institution’s standing among Canadians but it has not solved the fundamental problem of its legitimacy deficit as an unelected Chamber.
It does hew a little more closely to the curious side of the spectrum that Prime Minister Mark Carney had nothing to say about the Senate until after he had secured a majority in the House of Commons following a spate a floor-crossings and byelection victories.
For the first time, Prime Minister Mark Carney said he will listen to the advice of the almost entirely vacant advisory body on Senate appointments, and has committed to appointing new Senators ‘in due course.’
‘It’s a security concern for people like me who are in the public eye and who deal with angry constituents all the time,’ says Alberta Senator Paula Simons of an Elections Alberta data leak that exposed the personal details of nearly three million people.
At times, Smith says his work as a senator felt a bit like being back on the football field, from learning the ropes as a rookie to playing defence amid the Senate expense scandal.
‘I wish I hadn’t got this sick, but I can’t choose the card that I am dealt, but I can choose how to play them,’ says ISG Senator Stan Kutcher, who is delivering his farewell speech on May 7 in the Upper Chamber.
A number of Senators have reportedly been weighing the idea of establishing a group more focused on prioritizing government business since the start of the new year.
The recommendation calling for a leader of the government in the Senate to be appointed to cabinet faced some opposition at the committee table.
The national and Quebec groups representing obstetricians and gynaecologists say a bill naming coerced sterilization in the Criminal Code could lead to physicians hesitating to provide critical care during emergencies for fear of prosecution. But Senator Yvonne Boyer, the bill’s sponsor, and Justice Department officials say doctors have legal protections in these situations.
The decision was reportedly made after an Indigenous Senator touring Centre Block raised questions about the decorative paintwork on the walls and ceiling of room 256-S.
While the House does an ‘excellent job’ of protecting the cybersecurity of MPs while travelling, Tory MP Stephanie Kusie says she sees a gap in information and training on general security.
Despite Senate amendments to the legislation, Indigenous Services Minister Mandy Gull-Masty says the government won’t address the second-generation cutoff in the Indian Act without broad consultation. But advocate Zoë Craig-Sparrow says ‘you cannot consult on a genocide.’
Non-affiliated Senator Marilou McPhedran says while the report is a small step forward in recognizing challenges faced, she’s not optimistic about the ‘minimalist’ changes proposed.
If passed as is, Bill C-12 will impede the right of people fleeing persecution and torture to access asylum in Canada, undermining our government’s obligations under international law and risking our status as a global leader in the field of refugee protection.
Members of the Senate Social Affairs and Human Rights committees say they aren’t waiting on government bills before pursuing accountability, enforcement powers, and clearer safety standards for the rapidly evolving technology.
After her two daughters’ health issues were nearly misdiagnosed, Sen. Danièle Henkel decided to focus on women’s health in the Upper Chamber. The result is Bill S-243, the National Framework for Women’s Health in Canada Act, which is now at second reading in the Senate.
The Liberal, NDP, and Conservative parties say Parliament must assert its jurisdiction over regulating federal parties, as privacy and data advocates urge Senators to pull parts of the ‘privacy-busting bill’ C-4.
David Jeanes, a retired engineer and former president of Transport Action Canada, says the Senate Building would be an ideal spot for a downtown Ottawa station, and says it could be linked to the rest of the line with a tunnel going under part of the Rideau Canal.
It’s an open question as to whether the prime minister will treat the Senate as a strategic asset or leave the institution under-utilized in a national moment when it is most needed to rebuild national cohesion.
Senators now have a series of government bills to study after a slow trickle of legislation left the House last fall, but leaders say a balance needs to be struck between speed and scrutiny.
