Canadian Senator James Cowan says he’s proud to be a senator, always has been, and proud of the work of his colleagues.
And on Wednesday (July 3) the National Post newspaper published his commentary entitled “A proud day for the Canadian Senate”. His comments come at a time that the appointed upper chamber of sobre second thought has been under attack for contested expense claims by some senators.
His comment dealt with Bill C-377, a financial disclosure bill aimed at unions that the Senate spent three weeks examining and hearing from 44 witnesses. A bill passed by the elected Members of Parliament of the House of Commons after hearing four hours of testimony.
It was a private member’s bill introduced by a government backbencher. The Conservative government was eager to have the bill passed. But it was a bill that worried enough Senators because of constitutionality and privacy issues, that they passed amendments last week, effectively stopping passage of the bill. It will now return to the House of Commons in September after the summer break.
RCI’s Wojtek Gwiazda talked to Senator James Cowan about the bill, and about the importance of the Senate, and the possibility of non-partisan cooperation in the Senate. Senator Cowan is the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate. As a Senator he represents the Atlantic province of Nova Scotia.
More information:
Senate debate and vote on Bill C-377 on June 26, 2013 – here
RCI – Beleaguered Senate blocks immediate passage of union disclosure bill – here
Senator James Cown more information – here
For reasons beyond our control, and for an undetermined period of time, our comment section is now closed. However, our social networks remain open to your contributions.