I am glad to hear that. I am told that is not the case in Alberta nor is it the case in British Columbia. If one province blocks it that is the end of the initiative.
The Prime Minister made the very wise promise when he was running in the election campaign in 1993 that he would not tinker with the Constitution of Canada. Canadians were sick and tired of constitutional tinkering. It cost us. It has almost broken our country up because of the tinkering of the former Prime Minister and his bumbling in that field. This Prime Minister has promised that he will deliver to Canadians what they want and that is anything but constitutional reform.
We will not get into Senate reform because it requires a constitutional change. To suggest that we should make the Senate a weak link in the parliamentary chain by refusing to fill the vacancies is silly nonsense.
The candidates that were put in the Senate this week are excellent candidates. They have excellent qualifications. The hon. member does a disservice when he refers to them as political hacks.
The former member for Ottawa-Vanier served a distinguished career as a member of a school board. He has been a chiropractor for many years, having received his doctorate in the chiropractic in 1953. He worked as a chiropractor for many years before he was elected to Parliament and did some during the time he was here. He has been an excellent MP and a leader in his community. Surely someone with those qualifications is a worthy appointee to the Senate of Canada.