Senate Headed for Term Limits, Elections

The most drastic changes to the Senate in Canadian history could be in place by Christmas.

Despite drawing heckles for his appointment of three failed Tory candidates to the Senate just weeks ago, Prime Minister Stephen Harper intends to set term limits and introduce elections for senators in legislation to be introduced next month. Senate reform has long been a tenet of the Conservatives, but their attempts to do anything about the matter were usually dead on arrival in the minority Parliaments. Now boasting majorities in both the House of Commons and the Senate, Harper intends to pass the term-limit legislation first, which would likely limit a senator's career to 10 or 12 years, followed by a bill that would let provinces hold elections to replace outgoing senators from their jurisdiction.