Mr. Speaker, I never said in my comments that senators should be accountable to the electorate. When I say that they are accountable, I do not mean they are accountable to the public, because they are not elected representatives. I never meant to say senators should be elected by the people.
What we are demanding is actually the abolition of the Senate, pure and simple. I cannot figure out how the member could draw these conclusions. The abolition of the Senate is what we want. I do not want an elected Senate.
I think these $40 million for the Senate is just money thrown out the window. What the Senate does is nothing but duplication and overlap. After bills are discussed here, there are debated once
more, which delays the passage of some of them. An appointment to the Senate is a kind of old age security for deserving friends of the Liberals or the Conservatives. In these days of fiscal restraint, when we cut different programs for the young, for women and for the destitute, it may be a good idea to consider areas where there is some fat to pare.
Senators are not accountable to the people and they are not elected by the population, but I repeat for the sake of the hon. member that I do not want senators to be elected by the population. What I want is the abolition of the Senate in order to get these $40 million back and use them in areas where they are badly needed. Quebec is not the only province subjected to federal cuts. That is why we should turn to areas where cuts can be made.
What do we need the senators for, nowadays? To pass bills that have already been passed by this House? I do not see the rationale. I am pretty sure many people in Quebec and Canada are in full agreement with the Bloc Quebecois position, which is the abolition of the Senate, pure and simple.