Friday, August 28, 2009

Stephen Harper's Senate appointments

Integrity or expedience?

Prime Minister Stephen Harper will name eight new Senators. These appointments will give the Conservatives 46 of the 105 seats in the Senate. The Liberals have 53 and the rest are independent.


Stephen Harper,
January 15, 2004:

"... the Upper House remains a dumping ground for the favoured cronies of the Prime Minister."


Conservative Party website during 2006 election:

"A conservative government will not appoint to the senate anyone who does not have a mandate from the people."


Yet, the government has "now made 27 Senate appointments of his Conservative cronies in less then a year."

And what a lucrative "job" it is! It pays $ 132,000.- for working
, on average, 70 days a year sitting in the Senate. However, this didn't stop some of the new appointees wanting to keep their current jobs as well.