>Thomas:
>
>No Eva, I was not suggesting a democracy. My thoughts were more in line
>with an oversight committee. A group chosen for their demonstrated wisdom
>rather than their professional training and yes, some Phd's even reach that
>stage, probably about, in the same ratio as those who did not benefit from
>a mis-education. These people, would not be those who decide but those who
>listen and reflect and then put forth their answers as guidelines to
balance
>the special interest groups, politicians with their agenda's and the needs
>of people and the planet to reach compromise and balance. In Canada, this
>is supposed to be performed by the Senate but it has become an old age
home
>for services rendered in most cases.
>
I've kept clear of this thread so far because I felt I really had nothing to
contribute. But now the Senate, one of my favorite institutions (and
certainly one of my wife's because she works there), has come under attack
so I do feel I have to jump in with at least one foot. Two things about the
Senate: one is that, despite the sleepy image it has been given in the
media, several of the people who sleep there are among the most active on
the hill. Women in particular come to mind -- Landon Pearson, Anne Cools,
and Sharon Carstairs. Others may not be so active now, but they have been
in the past -- e.g. Lois Wilson and Sister Peggy Butts. Among men, there
are Jerry Grafstein and Colin Kenny (though I have misgivings about the
latter going back to the days when he represented Dome Petroleum in Ottawa).
So, Senators are not necessarily all asleep, at least not always.
The other thing about the Senate is the reports and proceedings its
committees publish. A lot of very good stuff has come out of the Senate
over the years. This may suggest that at least some Senators are not
sleeping, but may merely be out of sight doing committee work. A couple of
examples: The report of the Senate Committee on Poverty, which the Chair,
David Croll, kept updating from year to year until his death, and the
classic report of the Senate Committee on Agriculture of several years ago.
Recently, the Senate has reported extensively on banking and finance.
Individual Senators have also done some interesting work -- e.g. Erminie
Cohen's 1997 report on poverty.
So, let us be careful where we tread. If there are snores coming from
Parliament Hill, it may be some of the elected reps, not necessarily always
the appointed ones.
Ed Weick
