It could be said that it is the prerogative of the government to try to establish constitutional practices or customs. The next government also has the prerogative to not follow the same rules. With decisions of successive governments, the existence of constitutional conventions may be eventually established, but before that, there is no change. So a number of things have to happen for a convention to come about.
I agree with you when you say that Bill C-20 is more suspect when it is considered together with Bill C-19. It becomes more suspect because we start to see an attempt at reform that looks a little more significant. It is one thing to elect a person who is going to stay in place until the age of 75, but it is clearly another thing to elect someone who is going to stay one year, five years, eight years, twelve years. That is not the same thing. Each scenario must be looked at very closely to see if we are crossing the line of what the Constitution allows Parliament to do unilaterally.
On Bill C-19, I do not share the view of my colleague Peter Hogg on the relevance or otherwise of the Senate Reference. I think that the Senate Reference is still relevant in interpreting the scope of section 44 of the Constitution Act of 1982, that is, in interpreting the scope of the federal power to unilaterally amend the Constitution of Canada. Even so, that does not mean that Bill C-19 goes too far. I can expand on that if you are interested.