Senate.

• Author: Mussell, Mary
• Position: Legislative Reports - Conference notes

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The Governor General, the Senate and the House of Commons-the three components of Parliament-assembled in the Senate Chamber on October 16 for the Opening of the Second Session of the Thirty-ninth Parliament. In keeping with tradition, the Governor General read the Speech from the Throne, but on this occasion, and for the first time, the Speech was read by Her Excellency Michaelle Jean early in the evening for broadcast during prime time television.

The Speech outlined the Government's agenda for the new session and included sovereignty and security, environmental protection, economic growth, modernization of Canada's federation, and safe communities as priorities. The Government remains committed to Senate reform, as it was during the First Session of this Parliament. In particular, two pieces of complex and controversial legislation not passed during the last session will be re-introduced: one to shorten Senators' tenure from a maximum of 45 years to eight years; and the other to allow for direct consultation of voters in the selection of Senators.

Although the Speech was the highlight of the day, the Senate also attended to other business. The appointment of the Bert Brown who was summoned to the Senate early in the summer and sworn in on October 16 further demonstrated the Government's belief that Canadians must have a say in who will represent them in the Senate. Senator Brown, a long time advocate of Senate reform, won an Alberta province-wide Senate election in 2004. This was only the second time in Canada's history that an elected Senator was appointed to the Senate. In 1989, the people of Alberta...