Mr. Speaker, I was not asking about change in the Constitution or in the distribution of powers. I was simply asking about changes in the federal institutions.
In many federations the upper chamber of parliament is the place where the distinctive interests of various parts of the country are represented and reconciled. Accountable and representative upper chambers can serve as a shock absorber for potential unity problems.
Countries like Germany, Australia, Switzerland, and the United States have upper chambers that actually work. Unfortunately our Senate is not even democratically accountable let alone able to represent and reconcile regional and provincial interests.
In order to demonstrate its openness to the reform of federal institutions, is the federal government willing to commit to at least the democratization of the Canadian Senate, another change which can be made without constitutional amendments?