Did you know?
For what it is worth knowing, the Canadian Senators are an aged lot, as would be expected. With an average age of 65.34 years of age, are they really old? If we look at the average age of members of the House of Commons, which is 51.76, those members are a fairly young lot! From these members of the House, Ministers of the Crown are selected. They have an average age of 55.78, just 4 years on average older than the members of the House.
Now, what has age got to do with governing? Although it might be believed that a person, who has lived longer, has had more general experiences in life, including work and family would be in a better position to render judgments on any number of topics or questions that might only be a factor when individuals present themselves for election. It might be of interest to note that in the last election a newcomer to politics who was under thirty defeated a cabinet minister who was much older. No matter the age of a representative of the people, each Member of Parliament has one vote, and that representative votes without any constraints from the electorate but at times with pressure from the party, to vote the party line. From my perspective, votes that reflect the conscience of the individual carry far more meaning and validity than the party line.
As I have indicated in the past, the prime minister of Canada has too much power. He gets what he wants and can hide from his ultimate and moral responsibility behind all possible administrative and bureaucratic mechanisms and loop-holes to distance himself from “front line” activities such as the contracts that had been issued under the sponsorship program. There is no doubt in my mind that he has always been aware not only of how things do operate but the outcome of operations as well. He was responsible for the “formulation” of the project and then moved it over to his Ministers to put it into operation. Perhaps legally proper but was it done with a sense for ethics and morality? He knew what he wanted. Did he get all that he really wanted? If yes, some individuals are now caught in the web of possible illegal activities that now reflect badly on some individuals and on the Liberal Party.
In general, Members of Parliament, Ministers and Prime Ministers have many qualities that I would view as being superior to the average Canadian. They have been elected because they have, in most instances, shown to the electorate that they would have what it takes to represent the people. For many reasons including their personalities, their intelligence, their leadership qualities and other abilities, they got elected. Their shared convictions are reflected in the law, the laws of the land which we must respect.
Senators who are appointed by the prime minister for whatever reasons, in general, have qualities that would permit them to participate in the investigatory studies conducted by committees of the Senate. It is true that the age of senators is higher that that of the House of Commons, for two reasons: a senator must be at least thirty years of age and senators can continue active service until compulsory retirement at the age of 75.
From watching Senators functioning within their committees, I must say that I am impressed with their performance. Some might say that the Senators should represent and be elected on some constituency basis. With this idea, I can’t agree. Senators, with their personal thoughts and ideas, without any allegiance to a particular group, can function in due conscience and with self respect. I trust this to be the case; we are well served!
Now, what has age got to do with governing? Although it might be believed that a person, who has lived longer, has had more general experiences in life, including work and family would be in a better position to render judgments on any number of topics or questions that might only be a factor when individuals present themselves for election. It might be of interest to note that in the last election a newcomer to politics who was under thirty defeated a cabinet minister who was much older. No matter the age of a representative of the people, each Member of Parliament has one vote, and that representative votes without any constraints from the electorate but at times with pressure from the party, to vote the party line. From my perspective, votes that reflect the conscience of the individual carry far more meaning and validity than the party line.
As I have indicated in the past, the prime minister of Canada has too much power. He gets what he wants and can hide from his ultimate and moral responsibility behind all possible administrative and bureaucratic mechanisms and loop-holes to distance himself from “front line” activities such as the contracts that had been issued under the sponsorship program. There is no doubt in my mind that he has always been aware not only of how things do operate but the outcome of operations as well. He was responsible for the “formulation” of the project and then moved it over to his Ministers to put it into operation. Perhaps legally proper but was it done with a sense for ethics and morality? He knew what he wanted. Did he get all that he really wanted? If yes, some individuals are now caught in the web of possible illegal activities that now reflect badly on some individuals and on the Liberal Party.
In general, Members of Parliament, Ministers and Prime Ministers have many qualities that I would view as being superior to the average Canadian. They have been elected because they have, in most instances, shown to the electorate that they would have what it takes to represent the people. For many reasons including their personalities, their intelligence, their leadership qualities and other abilities, they got elected. Their shared convictions are reflected in the law, the laws of the land which we must respect.
Senators who are appointed by the prime minister for whatever reasons, in general, have qualities that would permit them to participate in the investigatory studies conducted by committees of the Senate. It is true that the age of senators is higher that that of the House of Commons, for two reasons: a senator must be at least thirty years of age and senators can continue active service until compulsory retirement at the age of 75.
From watching Senators functioning within their committees, I must say that I am impressed with their performance. Some might say that the Senators should represent and be elected on some constituency basis. With this idea, I can’t agree. Senators, with their personal thoughts and ideas, without any allegiance to a particular group, can function in due conscience and with self respect. I trust this to be the case; we are well served!
posted by croweagle at
11:37 PM
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