Distraction Obsession

Dylan Jones, President and CEO of theCanada West Foundation talks about The Senate reform obsession.

Obsession with Senate reform is a costly distraction. The true cost of the endless debate over how to modify or eliminate the Red Chamber is how much it has diverted attention from governance reforms that would actually improve the lives of Canadians. The idea that the Senate is an essential forum for representing regional voices reflects the bias that the only government that matters is the federal one. In reality, as has been well argued by Premier Brad Wall of Saskatchewan, it is the division of powers between the federal and provincial governments that actually shapes how our country is governed.

The dominant fact of Canadian federalism is that provinces are strong and important actors. This fact is overlooked by the many academics and journalists enthralled by the political theatre in Ottawa.

If it's the obsession of anyone, I suspect it's only of a few, otherwise the chamber would have been reformed by now, or at least be making some sort of progress.  Most people don't concern themselves with the components of our legislative institutions.  The Senate rarely gets noticed until there's a scandal.