OTTAWA, ON: Following this morning’s judgment from the Supreme Court of Canada indicating that unanimous consent of the provinces and the Parliament of Canada are required to abolish the Senate, the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) renewed its call for Prime Minister Stephen Harper to put the question to the people of Canada in a national referendum, to coincide with the 2015 federal election.
“There’s no question that unanimous consent is a high bar for abolition, but do not underestimate how sick Canadians are of this unelected group of landowners pilfering the public purse,” said CTF Federal Director Gregory Thomas.
“We’re confident that if a national referendum were held in 2015, Canadians from coast-to-coast-to-coast would come to the same conclusion – we don’t need an extra 105 unelected politicians,” continued Thomas. “Chances are most Canadians already believe the Senate is a waste of money.”
Thomas called the Senate “an unelected relic from the 1860’s,” adding “there’s no place for the Senate in its current form in a modern democracy.”
The CTF will continue to survey its supporters on the future of the Senate. In June of 2013, 7,600 supporters participated in a national survey, with 82 per cent favouring a referendum on the issue, and 65 per cent favouring outright abolition of the Senate.
The CTF launched its call for a national referendum on abolishing the Senate in July with the inflation of a 30-foot balloon that may or may not look like a certain suspended Senator.
Gregory Thomas, Federal Director
