Canada's Trudeau Tosses All 32 Liberal Senators from Party
Canadian Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau on Wednesday tossed all 32 Liberal senators from his opposition party.
"There are no more Liberal Senators," he announced.
The eldest son of late prime minister Pierre Trudeau said the surprise move was to "remove partisanship and patronage from the Senate," which he called a "deeply negative force."
The senators stripped of their Liberal ties will now sit as independents, he said.
This comes after months of deliberations in the media about what to do with a scandal-plagued Senate that has become increasingly irrelevant and an embarrassment to Canadians.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper's Tory government has long sought to reform Canada's Senate, but faces opposition from several provinces fearing a dilution of their share of Senate seats, and from senators themselves.
He has asked the Supreme Court for its opinion on its proposals to reform or abolish the Senate.
The main opposition New Democratic Party meanwhile wants the upper house simply abolished and its 105 members shown the door.
Trudeau blamed party allegiances within the Senate for its woes, saying Senators' actions too often reflect "not just what's best for their country or their regions, but what's best for their party."
Under the current system, senators from various regions of Canada are appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister and can hold their seats until they turn 75.
Critics say successive federal governments have stacked it with party hacks, organizers and supporters.
Harper himself has appointed 59 senators since rising to power in 2006, including his former secretary.
Federal police are currently investigating Harper's former chief of staff for bribery, fraud and breach of trust for helping a Tory senator repay Can$90,000 in fraudulent expense claims.
The pair are at the center of a political scandal that has been a drag on the government's popularity ahead of a general election scheduled for 2015.
The senator, who accused his own party of a cover-up in the affair, and two others also appointed by Harper and also accused of having made "troubling" Senate expense claims were suspended without pay last year, while Harper's former right-hand-man was fired.
A retired Liberal senator is also being investigated for alleged fraud, linked to a Brunei diplomat in Ottawa.
The auditor general also is probing other Senators' expenses for possible wrongdoing.
Source: Agence France Presse
| Copyright © 2012 Naharnet.com. All Rights Reserved. | https://mobile.naharnet.com/stories/en/116331 |