Clearly, this motion was inspired by the Upper House Reference of 1980. Obviously, we are referring to amendments to the essential characteristics of the Senate. To this end, we defer to the Upper House Reference, which is inspired by common sense. The Supreme Court stated that if it was a matter of changing the paint colour and this did not entail many consequences, the decision could probably be made under Ottawa's unilateral amending powers, but if it was a matter of making significant changes to the House, provincial consent would be required. Why? Because the House in question does not belong solely to Ottawa: it belongs to the provinces as well.
On June 4th, 2008. See this statement in context.