Removal of Senators from Liberal caucus a step in the right direction

The Green Party of Canada applauds the decision of Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau to remove formerly Liberal Senators from the party caucus, and today called on Prime Minister Harper to follow Trudeau’s lead.

“The poison in our political system is the hyper-partisanship that comes from overly controlling political parties,” said Green Leader Elizabeth May, MP for Saanich–Gulf Islands. “Justin Trudeau has found a novel way to reduce that partisanship in the Senate, and given Mr. Harper’s stated desire to reform the Senate, we urge him to follow suit.”

Added May: “The issue of Senate reform is intractable due to the requirement to open the constitution for most meaningful reforms. As Greens, we focus on where significant reforms can be achieved without opening the Constitution, such as with electoral reform and getting rid of the First Past the Post voting system, reducing the influence of the Prime Minister’s Office, and reducing the control of party leaders over their caucuses, as reflected in our support for Michael Chong’s Reform Act.”

“Justin Trudeau’s decision to have Liberal senators serve as independents is an important step in the right direction to reform the Senate,” said Bruce Hyer, Green Party Deputy Leader and MP for Thunder Bay–Superior North. “As a fiercely independent parliamentarian for many years, I know how liberating it can be to put the voices of Canadians ahead of mindless party politics and truly represent your constituents – I call on the Prime Minister to finally take action on Senate reform, and do the same.”