Hmmm . . . I can't help but wonder how many billions of dollars this reform will cost? The Senate currently acts as a rubber stamp but giving them a real mandate will increase the size of legislative bureaucracy making the passage of any bill slower than it already is. The cost of elections will double as will the cost of maintaining a Senate - this may perhaps triple.

I thought the Reform/Alliance/PC, or whatever they're called, was about reducing the size of government not increasing it.

This is more of Van Loan's typical hot air.

Adu failed to mention what it would take to make this reform happen. You would need majority approval in each provincial legislature plus 60% approval in a general referendum. On top of increasing election costs and bogging down legislation with added bureaucracy, Van Loan thinks it’s a good idea to spend an extra 200-300 million dollars on a referendum and to tie up provincial legislatures with a request for a bloated government!

Are Canadians willing to accept such a high long-term costs to satisfy the Harper’s personal vendetta against the Senate and his desires to transform Canada into an US style republic? Why not just abolish the Senate?