Prime Minister Stephen Harper has pledged to discuss Senate elections this fall, Alberta Premier Ralph Klein revealed on Monday.

Initially, media reports reported that Harper had promised to introduce Senate elections this year, but Klein's office came out with a statement Monday evening clarifying that there would only be discussions.

"He's going to proceed with senatorial elections this fall," Klein said at a news conference.

"He didn't indicate how those elections would be carried out."

But Klein's press secretary indicated later that the premier overstated what was promised at a meeting last Friday with the prime minister and several premiers.

"The premier didn't mean to say that there would be national elections for senators this fall," Marisa Etmanski told The Canadian Press.

"He clarified (to me) that there would be discussions this fall on Senate elections."

These discussions will focus on when the elections will take place, said Etmanski.

Harper made Senate elections a key platform during the recent federal election campaign, but he took many Canadians aback by naming Quebec's Michael Fortier to the Senate, and then making him public works minister.

Klein also revealed that the prime minister promised to give the next open upper chamber seat to Alberta farmer Bert Brown, who won Alberta Senate elections in 1998 and in 2004, but was never appointed by the Liberals.

But the Alberta premier says the prime minister decided not to pursue other reforms that would overhaul the upper chamber.

"That issue has been left on the table," said Klein.

"It will not be pursued because it involves opening the Constitution, which causes problems."

Senate reform has been a western demand for years, particularly in Alberta and British Columbia, where the upper house is seen as an undemocratic stronghold of cronyism that shortchanges the region.

In 1998, Albertans elected two would-be senators or so-called "senators-in-waiting," Brown and University of Calgary professor Ted Morton, but then-prime minister Jean Chretien refused to honour those results.

In 1989, Stan Waters was elected a senator-in-waiting and was eventually appointed a senator by then-prime minister Brian Mulroney.

Currently, standard procedure is for prime ministers to appoint senators, who keep the post until they are 75.