B.C. Senator Campbell Questions Justin Trudeau’s Sudden Announcement

This article was last updated on April 16, 2022

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In a question raised by former Vancouver mayor, appointed by then-Liberal prime minister Paul Martin in 2005, and B.C. Senator, Larry Campbell, he probed Liberal leader Justin Trudeau’s sudden announcement on Wednesday to unilaterally lay off all Liberal senators from his caucus. Mr. Campbell alleged that “I think it’s a brave move on the part of Justin. I don’t know that it’s a smart move.” The move indeed rocked the federal political scene as Trudeau declared to boot all 32 senators from the Liberal caucus membership.

Mr. Trudeau’s decision is the Liberal leader’s answer to the ongoing Senate spending scandal that engulfed and extremely defamed three former Conservative appointees and one since-retired Liberal senator, Mac Harb. Trudeau stressed that “the Senate is broken and needs to be fixed.” He mentioned that the decision was necessary since it is a step to reform the upper chamber by removing the partisan element that often compels the senators to choose their political bosses over than their home provinces.

While making the announcement, Trudeau mentioned that “if the Senate serves a purpose at all, it is to act as a check on the extraordinary power of the prime minister and his office, especially in a majority government.” He added that “the party structure in the Senate interferes with this responsibility. Taken together with patronage (appointments), partisanship within the Senate is a powerful, negative force. It reinforces the prime minister’s power instead of checking it.” He alleged that “at best, this renders the Senate redundant. At worst – and under Mr. Harper we have seen it at its worst – it amplifies the prime minister’s power.”