Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity the member for Kindersley-Lloydminster has given me to explain the position of New Democrats with regard to the Senate. Certainly we are asked about this frequently because there appears to be a contradiction when no contradiction exists.
New Democrats, myself included, have always called for and continue to call for the abolition of the unelected, unaccountable Senate. The fact that the Senate has failed to live up to all its obligations over its entire history with one or two exceptions gives us many reasons to believe that the Senate as it exists today must be abolished.
However, abolition of the existing Senate does not preclude the establishment of a new second chamber, a second chamber that has a new mandate, that is elected by the people of Canada, that provides representation to provinces, territories or regions, however it gets defined across the country, one that does have effective powers.
The key to all of this is the ability of the Senate to respond to these issues. The effectiveness of the Senate is a very important part of this whole package.
In response to the member for Kindersley-Lloydminster and to all others who have questions about this position, we believe very strongly in the rebuilding of the Senate to be elected and accountable to the people of Canada.