Mr. Speaker, our first vote on the budget, vote one of the estimates, establishes the operating budget for the Senate.
This year our unelected, unaccountable Senate has asked taxpayers for a 10% raise to increase its budget from $40 million to $44 million. Yet at the same time it refuses to account to Canadians on how it spends our money.
Last year when the House requested that the Senate account for its budget the Senate openly and defiantly refused to appear before this elected House to justify its budget.
Clearly the unelected Senate has demonstrated to Canadians once again that it has absolutely no accountability to the taxpaying public.
Accountability in the Senate can only be achieved in one way, by making our other house of Parliament democratically accountable to the people it is supposed to represent. This can only be done by electing, not appointing, our senators.