A look at the attendance record of Canada's Senate has raised fresh questions about how often its members show up for work. According to CBC News, in the 12 months following the last federal election the Senate sat for 76 days, and only eight senators had a perfect attendance record over that period, a figure that has drawn concern from some of the chamber's own leadership as it weighs how seriously members are taking their duties.
The gaps varied widely from one senator to the next. According to the account, the rest of the senators were away anywhere from one to 54 days out of the 76 sitting days, with the absences attributed to public business, to time off, or to illness. The wide spread has prompted what CBC News described as strong words from the Conservative leader in the Senate about members who miss votes and fall short on attendance.
Yet there is little that can be done to compel senators to attend. According to CBC News, senators are appointed rather than elected, meaning they do not have to face the electorate, a situation shaped by the reforms brought in under former prime minister Justin Trudeau. That structure leaves the institution with little leverage to force anyone into the chamber for a given sitting day.
The way the modern Senate is organized adds to the difficulty. According to the account, virtually all senators now sit as independents rather than being tied to a party that must answer to voters, functioning in effect as lone wolves able to do largely as they please. With the disappearance of party whips, there is no longer anyone whose job it is to enforce attendance or to count votes in the chamber.
The issue is not entirely new. According to CBC News, attendance was a problem in the Senate in the past as well, including in the years before the Trudeau-era changes took effect, suggesting that the challenge of getting members to show up predates the current independent model and has persisted across very different approaches to how senators are chosen.
Prime Minister Mark Carney is now moving to reshape how senators are selected. According to the account, after about a decade in which mostly nonpartisan senators were appointed, Carney has signalled that people with more political experience are what is needed now, pointing to a desire for core competencies and familiarity with government and legislative processes among the people he brings in.
Carney framed the change as a way to address gaps in the chamber. According to CBC News, he said that where the Senate is more deficient and there are people willing to serve, he is pleased that they are stepping forward. Beyond the appointments overhaul, some senators are said to be reviewing how to encourage participation when they return in the fall to a place that is meant to be the chamber of sober second thought.