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Harper expected to appoint 9 more Senators as early as today

by albertacowpoke | August 27, 2009 at 02:48 am

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During the last recess of Parliament, Prime Minister Stephen Harper appointed 18 new Senators to Canada's Upper Chamber. Canada's Senate is not elected, as it is in the United States. Appointments are made by the Prime Minister of the Day to fill openings The Canadian Senate contains 105 Seats, amazing since the US with 10 times the population only has 100.

The Conservative Party, when out of power, advocated the creation of a Triple E Senate. This has been hard to do with a minority government, as at least one of the opposition parties would have to support the Conservatives in this venture.

Prime Minister Harper is expected to appoint nine more Senators as early as today. Traditionally these appointment have been patronage appointments and will be the same when they are announced today.

The appointments today are expected to include Doug Finley, the main Conservative strategist through four general elections, Carolyn Stewart-Olsen, a senior adviser to PM Harper for at least seven years and Don Plett the current President of the Conservative Party.

These appointments, as was the case earlier this year, are again appointed during a recess in Parliament. This will avoid the Opposition Party attacks during the daily Parliamentary Question Period.

If all vacancies are filled, the Conservatives will have 46 seats in the Senate, while the Liberals still hold 53.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper is expected to name eight new members to the Senate as early as Thursday, and the appointments will include loyal and long-serving Conservative advisers, CBC News has learned.

Sources in Ottawa have told CBC News that new senators will include Doug Finley, the main strategist for the Conservatives through four general elections, and Carolyn Stewart-Olsen, a senior adviser to Harper for about seven years.

Don Plett, the current president of the Conservative party, may also accept an appointment.

TORONTO -- Reports says Prime Minister Harper is about to fill up to nine Senate vacancies with some of his closest Conservative supporters.

The impending appointments to the Red Chamber include Doug Finley, who is Harper's campaign chair.

Other nomiees are said to include Conservative party president Don Plett and Carolyn-Stewart-Olsen, Harper's long-time communications assistant.

The appointments will be announced in the coming days.

When he anoints his very own Hallelujah Chorus to represent Canadians in the Senate in the coming days, Prime Minister Stephen Harper will have delivered his most compelling argument for electing senators.

An ideological politician who was disgusted at watching Parliament’s upper house turned into a vote-stacking exercise, where only the faintest of sober second thoughts actually take place, Mr. Harper has turned ruthlessly partisan in making his Senate appointments, elevating party loyalty into a key consideration for the cushiest job on the Hill.

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sara star

at 02:57 on August 27th, 2009

How cunning!

albertacowpoke

at 03:04 on August 27th, 2009

Cunning indeed, I can't believe that we still appoint Senators and that they are in office to age 75. This sort of thing will continue until we have an elected Upper Chamber.

A proud Canadian (not verified)

at 09:49 on August 28th, 2009

Just a second here. I thought the Alberta PM promised he would not do such a thing. I guess that at really good lier can justify just about anything. But a simple question does come to mind aside from the fact that this cowboy does not mean a word he says: I thought that Doug Finlay (the husband of Dianne Finaly ) was under criminal investigation on the Chuck Stahl matter and understodd that Harpoon had managed to "temporarily" sweep it under a carpet. Aren't there rules about such things - even for someone from Alberta???? Just wondering how Harper looks at his priest or clergy person in the eye. I guess from that part of the world things like ethics, morals and decency have a different connotation. All animals are equal BUT some are more equal than others. I did not vote for him last time and will be happy to see him packed of to cattle pens again - call an election Harper!!!!

albertacowpoke

at 09:57 on August 28th, 2009

Thanks for your comments. The comments about Alberta weren't really necessary though. Just for amplification, Stephen Harper is not Alberta. In case you didn't know it he actually comes from Ontario. In any case, that is neither here nor there.

albertacowpoke

at 03:09 on August 27th, 2009

As news of the appointments leaked out, the Prime Minister’s Office confirmed only that nominations are on the way to fill the nine empty seats.

“The Prime Minister plans to fill the existing Senate vacancies soon,” PMO spokesman Dimitri Soudas said last night.

If all vacancies are filled by Conservative senators, that would give the party 46 seats in the 105-seat Upper Chamber, still short of the Liberal Party, which has 53 seats.