A Renewed Senate That Works for Canadians.

• Author: Harder, Peter

Had you been standing in the foyer of Canada's Senate on June 22nd 2017, you'd have been forgiven for thinking that a constitutional crisis was about to engulf our nation's Parliament.

While the national media waited outside the chamber with cameras, microphones and hot television lights in tow, senators on the inside were voting on whether to send a message to the House of Commons insisting that it adopt a Senate amendment with respect to the ongoing taxation of alcohol.

Had the Senate taken this almost-unprecedented step, the Commons would have had to respond, almost certainly by reaffirming its own view that the budget be passed without amendment. This would have constituted a game of legislative ping pong between the two houses, with legislators looking for a way to break the deadlock.

It didn't turn out that way, of course.

Senators ultimately agreed that the budget be passed without amendment, deferring to the elected accountability of the Commons. Cool heads and sober secondthinking helped avert the parliamentary standoff that some feared.

As the Government's Representative in the Senate, there have been more than a few occasions over the past year that have left me with a touch of heartburn. But, as the spring sitting ended, this discomfort seems a small price to pay as we work to create a more modern Senate designed to be less partisan, more independent, accountable and transparent, and truly complementary to the elected House of Commons. When you sweep away the chaff left over from the sometimes messy business of modernizing the upper chamber, Canada's Senate scrutinized, debated and eventually passed 26 bills since June of 2016, often with amendments accepted by the House of Commons. It was a place where members of the public increasingly made their voices heard on policies that were important to them and where debate often had the effect of triggering change even before bills arrived in the Red Chamber.

There are, to be sure, many challenges ahead as we build a legislative record demonstrating that the Senate's modernization project is good for Canada. But I'd argue that we're further ahead than many political observers thought we'd be one year ago.

To understand where we're going, a bit of history is required.

To begin with, the 150th birthday that we're busy celebrating this year might not be happening had the Fathers of Confederation not agreed on the need for an upper chamber.

It's well to remember that Canada's founders...