Trudeau kicks out his senators to end partisan politics, but is it enough?

In a strange and unexpected move this January, Canadian Liberal Party leader Mr Justin Trudeau effectively kicked his own senators out of the party caucus (Cudmore, 2014). This sudden action was taken as a commitment, on behalf of the party, to political reform.

The Liberal leader's move was intended to represent the first step in political reform of the senate. That meant ending the Liberals' involvement with senatorial partisanship. Reforms would then be advanced further through legislation if the Liberals were to win the next election. While suggested by Mr Trudeau's opponents to be a cynical act and a 'smokescreen', it was nonetheless a very real move in a political world often lacking in discernible action.

Liberal leader Mr Trudeau stressed that he was trying to 'do the right thing', to fight political corruption that he felt was rooted in the partisan division of the political arena. In particular he claimed that the senate, a chamber which is supposed to act as a 'sober, second thought' in the legislative process, had lost sight of its purpose in the mire of party partisanship.

Partisan party politics developed, in this case within the Westminster style of government, partially as a matter of practicality and partially as a matter of patronage. The heads of government could only come to power with a majority of support in parliament. Political parties were the easy, efficient and effective way to manage a problem. How do you build a stable platform of support for government?

As a lack of democratic legitimacy has eaten away at unelected parliamentary upper houses, so new replaced the old. Out has gone the role of representing the interests of the aristocracy. In has come the role of oversight. It is suggested that the spread of political party divisions into the upper house, with the increase in democratic representativeness, has disabled the institution from fulfilling its new purpose. Oversight is being limited by affiliation and patronage.

As a gesture, as a symbol or a token of intention, such a move goes a long way. The newly independent senators have already begun trying to change the way that Canada's upper house works (Bryden, 2014).

But are these gestures enough?

Party partisan politics is divisive by nature. It simplifies, marginalises and creates conflict - conflict destructive to the calm, reasoned, approach needed for legislative oversight. But is it the cause or a symptom?

Ending the disputes between parties may not be enough to fix the core problems of corruption, lack of democratic representation, accountable law-making, and above all, the need for composed oversight.

If the political parties are merely a symptom of a broken system, then ending partisanship will only be a stop-gap measure. And there will be no quick fixes to a broken system. That will mean constitutional and institutional changes, all of which will have to be sold to the public. Mr Trudeau's gesture could be serving to test the waters of public opinion towards reform and maybe to attempt an easier path than might a more comprehensive overhaul.

For now we must wait and watch to see if the system be adapted, or if reformers must tackle the much more difficult task of uprooting the established institutions.

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References:
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+ James Cudmore's 'Justin Trudeau removes senators from Liberal caucus'; on CBC News; 29 January 2014.

+ Joan Bryden's 'Five ways Senate Liberals aim to change upper chamber'; on CTV News; 26 February 2014.