Harper appoints 3 defeated candidates to Senate

Larry Smith resigned from his Senate seat to run for the Conservatives in the West Island riding of Lac-Saint-Louis, and now that he's lost the election he's heading right back to the Senate.

CTV News Channel: Three new senators appointed

Defeated Conservatives Larry Smith from Quebec, Fabian Manning from Newfoundland and Josee Verner from Quebec have been appointed to the Senate.

Power Play: Libby Davies, NDP deputy leader

NDP Deputy Leader Libby Davies says Harper's decision to appoint three failed candidates to Senate must make Canadians very cynical about the democratic process, and explains how the new ministers should realize Canadians ultimately voted for change.

Power Play: Pat Martin and David Smith

NDP MP Pat Martin and Liberal Senator David Smith discuss how Prime Minister Stephen Harper's decision to appoint three failed candidates to Senate is an insult to the democratic process.

Watch: See all Videos in the Player

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Prime Minister Stephen Harper arrives for a cabinet shuffle at Rideau Hall in Ottawa on Wednesday, May 18, 2011. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick)

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CTV.ca News Staff

Date: Wed. May. 18 2011 9:23 PM ET

Prime Minister Stephen Harper has signalled his plans to appoint three failed Conservative candidates to the Senate, including two who quit the upper chamber to run in the election.

Two of them, Larry Smith and Fabian Manning, are former senators who will be returning to the Red Chamber, and the other is Josee Verner, a former cabinet minister who lost her seat to her NDP challenger in the federal election earlier this month.

Harper said the trio will support his efforts to reform the Senate, including electing senators and putting an eight-year term limit on them.

"Our government will continue to push for a more democratic, accountable and effective Senate," he said in a news release.

But NDP Leader Jack Layton says Canadian voters just rejected these three people two weeks ago and Harper is making an anti-democratic partisan move.

"This is wrong. This is completely undemocratic. It's a slap in the face of Canadian voters," Layton said.

"Mr. Harper talks about Senate reform but he's doing things in the same old way, in fact, even worse ... The ink is barely dry on their rejection notices and they're being appointed to the Senate."

Layton said there is a "culture of entitlement" in politics that breeds cynicism in voters.

"You should earn your place in the Senate and, if you can't get elected, you shouldn't be appointed to the Senate two weeks later, that's for sure."

New Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird had no issues with defending the planned Senate appointments.

"Our party wants to see an elected Senate . . . and the only way we can do that is to have the elected government make appointments," he said on CTV's Power Play. "I think these three are outstanding Canadians . . . who are strongly supporting Senate reform."

NDP MP Pat Martin minced no words about the Senate appointments, saying "the Canadian public should be blowing their stack right about now."

"This is an insult to the democratic process . . . the Senate has become nothing more than a bullpen for washed-up political hacks and flacks and bagmen and now failed candidates."

Liberal Senator David Smith said Harper's move was "unusual, given what he was saying."

"But these are new colleagues we are talking about, I'm not going to attack them."

Duff Conacher of the advocacy-group Democracy Watch called for a police investigation into whether Smith and Manning were promised they'd get their Senate seats back if they lost in their bid for a seat in the House of Commons.

The Criminal Code says it's illegal to entice parliamentarians to resign for reward or profit, he said.

Smith, who resigned his seat in the Senate in order to run for a seat in Commons -- and lost -- will be returning to the Senate, over his own earlier objections to it.

On election night, after a disappointing third-place finish in his Montreal riding, Smith said he had "no illusion of returning to the Senate because I have resigned and that was a condition of me running."

"The condition for accepting the position in the Senate was I had to send my letter of resignation when I started campaigning," he told The Canadian Press in French on the night of the election.

"So I have no place there and I have no expectation of returning there."

Smith, a former CFL commissioner, was first named to the Senate in December.

Manning, who had been in the Senate since 2008 but stepped down to run for a seat in Newfoundland only to lose, will also be returning to his previous occupation.

Manning is a longtime Newfoundland politician.

Comments are now closed for this story

Retired 2005
said

Wait I think I've this type of thing before. Oh yeah, it was American politics where it happened. Only not with the Senate but with the Supreme Court. Some how I thought this was Canada not the United States of America. Maybe some borders moved while I was sleeping.

mr_cb7
said

oh boy I called it! I knew Larry "Bush Jr" Smith would get his cushy job back after losing miserably. What a joke, Two TV personalities , an illiterate former hockey coach, and now another CFL management person.

Meryl
said

Mr.Harper supports an elected Senate and has experienced concentrated opposition to this from the other parties. Could this move today be a strategy to attain that end?Once the hysteria dies down, If the other parties are sufficiently incensed, might they agree to this change to abolish the potential for "sudden, unexplainable " appointments?

PAE in Hamilton
said

With all the yatta-yatta about the Senate appointments, and these people who were parachuted in today, the Liberals would also be entirely capable of tricks, if they had the chance. Do remember that we are talking about competent people here. They must punctuate their successful and talented careers (and I refer to members of all parties here), with the rough and tumble world of politics. I think this obutuse move of appointing election losers will lend itself very well to a situation of Senate abolition, or of Senator-elections. PM Harper will present one of these as a new beginning for the upper body of government. Get rid of that Senate, save the conflict and save lots and lots of our hard-earned $$$$$$! Welcome to politics, folks.

Jazz
said

After reading all these comments I cannot help but think that if we only voted in an NDP or Liberal government we would not have forest fires, flooding and sun would always be shining.

Sean John
said

More whining from the left. Is this action 'within the rules'? that's all I heard as a justification for a coalition. Suddenly, this perfectly legit 'within the rules' action is hypocritical and an outrage. I await your youtube 'this is outrage!' song.

Paul
said

Welcome to the face of your new government, giving a corrupt party a majority government was one of the stupidist things Canadains could have done.Guess everyone likes having corrupt lying useless governments, what a joke.

Rita
said

This is what I predicted, Harper would be a turncoat! Just 16 days after elections he appoints to the Senate three people that Canadian voters did not even elect as MP's? Slap in the face of voters! Harper was for the reform of Senate, right? Harper could claim honesty by claiming to have reformed the senate with only failed Cons MP's. Harper also nominated one of the largest governments? Is this the fiscal austerity plan? Voters have to tightenen their belts and be happy with useless fitness credit, while Harper rewards Cons supporters only. I wonder, if this fitness credit popped up during the game Harper watched with Steve Nash? I have a right to complain since I'm a "green liberal". I did not vote for political cronyism. Canadian voters did not think these three MP wanna bees were deserving even to be part of government? Grrr ...

Arrenbe
said

What would Layton do, had he become Prime Minister? We know his preference is to abolish the Senate, but wishing it were so "don't make it happen". To abolish, he would have to get a constitutional amendment. That would open a pandora's box of demands that would distract the nation from economic recovery, and feed regional resentment. Not a good use of the parliamentary agenda. So then, what would Layton do? Appoint neophite parliamentarians just for kicks? Can't do that, they're all in his Commons caucus. Would he just appoint hacks who want to keep the Senate the same while they gorge at the public trough? Oops, wrong party. That's the Liberal solution (they greased the wheels of Liberalism rewarding hacks in the Senate for a century - doesn't that give them rights in perpetuity?) So what, oh what would Layton do? How about belly-ache endlessly while actually doing nothing? THAT'S IT! And he won't quit UNTIL THE JOB IS DONE! Now that's the fresh approach of the NDP.

Brian
said

Remind me to run for parliment as a Con in Quebec next election: If I win I get a cabient post and if I lose I get a senate seat!!!

Al Rutherford
said

Shame on you Larry Smith. The respect for you is gone.

Steve
said

They were defeated by NDP voters who probably never voted for the NDP before or knew much about their policies.

Bobfar
said

Harper's face in dictionary under "H" for hypocrite

Ted from Toronto
said

One step to reform is have the senate full of members who won't veto the bid to limit their terms.... something that liberal appointees would never do.

Murray in Calgary
said

While I understand all the frustration some people are demonstrating on here, I beg to differ.Yes, Harper appointed 3 defeated candidates.Yes, Harper wants to see reform.Yes, this does seem un-democratic.However, how do you expect reform to come about if he were to appoint a Liberal or NDP?Whenever the tables have been tipped in their favor (Lib/NDP), it has been acceptable, and a way to prevent the implementation of changes. All Harper is doing is positioning the party so they are able to make good on their campaign promises... So, how can you judge this? It is politics after all - and its bound to get ugly before it gets better.Maybe I'm wrong because I'm just a young adult. Maybe I'm right. My bottom line, from a managerial stand point, is look at it from his perspective. How can you implement change when there is constant resistance?

DC in AB
said

J.D.: Wrong. The new senators believe in senate reform. Aside from having 8 of the 10 provinces approve senate reform, the upper chamber also must approve. This is actually the first step in pushing an elected senate. Way to go PM!

Brandon
said

That's nice of the PM. Appoint people to the upper house that the voters did not want representing them. Oh well... us lefties told you people this guy couldnt be trusted.

LP
said

Okay - but now that they have the majority they said they needed to reform the senate, they will finally get to make the senate an elected body like they've been saying they want to do. Although, why appoint people to a senate when they are just going to dissolve it to make it an elected body anyway? I guess time will tell.

John Brewer
said

Four more years then we can throw Harper out

Al F.
said

Well, we elected them and now we got them for at least 4-5 years. Way to go Canada! I feel the screws turning in my back already as I write this.....

Keith Fisher
said

Naturally, you have to "stack" the Senate with those who will vote to proceed with the gov't plan to reform it. There's no way you'll reform the Senate with the cast of left-leaning Liberal hacks who have been appointed there by the litany of predominantly Liberal gov'ts over the past several decades. The left-leaning opponents to this should look past the end of their noses.

Wayne in New Brunswick
said

What a joke. Harper is the biggest liar and hyprocrate ever. Oh well, what did you expect? Put more losers with the losers.

josephine
said

I thought that the Americans were out of their mind when they re-elected George Bush, I see that we are the same in re-electing a dictator.
I can only say that Canadians deserve the dictator they voted for, its unfortunate for the ones that used their commun sense and voted against this dictator. Can't wait for the next election, hoping the rest of Canada will wake up and smell the coffee
josephine

Jazz
said

Does anybody even bother to actually READ the article before spewing off? Harper has appointed people that will support his notion to limit a Senators term! How is that 'same old same old'????

Ki-Som Victoria BC
said

Going to get rid of the Senate, right Harper? You have appointed so many people there, that it has made history, so much of you being honest.

china
said

If you were upset bk the Liberals played the patronage game you should be really upset that this is happening again, especially since he promised not to. If this is a tit for tat then you are no better, and certainly not in a postion to condemn the past.

flintabatty flonatin
said

way to go harper. who cares what those crybabies say. we won and we can do what we want.

janfromthebruce
said

A House for Losers who are on the govt dole! Abolish it as it is a waste of money!

Michel
said

Stop the moaning, if they were qualified to sit on the Senate before the elections, why are they not qualified today? Because they lost in the election, I do not think that's a reason. Most of the people in the Senate were appointed for what they did in business, education or other fields of expertise. Many people complain that there is a lack of representation from Quebec in Ottawa, so this a good way of increasing the numbers from Quebec. Is it any worse than the jokers who were elected from the NDP in this Province??? I don't think so.

Ray
said

this man was definitively defeated ,he came in third.What has he ever done for Canada.I guess he still needs a job for doing nothing.The man said he would not go back when he was running for the Conservative I guess his word is not to be trusted.Harper elect your senators or get rid of the senat.

Ed Sasha
said

If there is one thing that illustrates the lie that the Speaker's charge of Harper's contempt of Parliament was the result of a partisan ploy by the opposition, it's Harper's utterly shameless appointment to the Senate of three Conservative election losers, as announced by the release issued minutes after he had taken questions on his new cabinet.A hypocritical and contemptuous act, brought to you by Harper's...StrongStableNationalMajorityConservativeGovernmentHarper insists that his mandate is about creating jobs. Now we know what he means.

Courtesy The Harper Regime
said

What Stephen Harper said: "I will cease patronage appointments to the Senate. Only candidates elected by the people will be named to the Upper House." "� the Upper House remains a dumping ground for the Favored Cronies of the Prime Minister." "I don't plan to appoint senators; that's not my intention."... What he did: Harper Appoints 18 Senators in 2008... Harper appoints 9 to Senate in 2009... Harper appoints 8 to Senate in 2010... And the Lies continue in 2011...

MRS. WASTEDMYVOTE
said

I feel so ashamed I voted PC, I really thought he was going to help the country and get rid of the senate and the gun registry.... I can't believe the house of commons isn't even back in session and Steven Harper has already completely flip flopped on this. Never again will I vote for the Conservative Partry

Same - Ottawa
said

Stephen Harper has done what the Liberals have done for years..believe it should be at least someone who has some political life...he has given 8 year terms to the senators he has elected in the past so would imagine it would be the same for these former MP's..If the NDP have their way there would be no Senate..but that will no doubt never ever happen..

Cheryl-Anne Simoneau
said

The people clearly spoke two weeks ago when they did not elect Larry Smith and he was defeated by a liberal. This is an outrage, and if I were Larry Smith, I would be ashamed to take this position.

It's easy Larry, just say no....Show some respect for yourself.

Chuck
said

I have no problem with the PM's appointments to the Senate. That's the way it has been done for decades. I trust Harper's judgement to pick Senators. If Canadians are putting their trust in him to steer the country through challenging economic and geopolitical times, surely they can trust him to select good people to serve in the Senate.

Dominik
said

Stephen and Larry are buddies
...........Larry needed a job ....and he got one!!!

Cynical
said

I am continually amazed at the ignorance of posters on this site as regards the political structure, laws and constitution of our nation. I suspect that many immigrant citizens are better acquainted in these areas than some of the posters, as they actually had to learn about our system of government in order to become citizens; unlike native-born Canadians, who have to rely on an education system that, more often than not, favors social instead of political history, and thus they have little understanding of the country in which they live.

Len
said

What a crock all this is. New senators, rewards for losing the election but let them reap the profits. Then the cabinet. Let's spend ourselves into oblivion when we were promised cutbacks. Patronage - worse than any other Canadian government has ever committed in such a short span of time in its royal reign. Guess we'll next be called to call him (Harper) king.

cfs_Alberta
said

Well, Harper never did run on a "clean government" platform so this should be no surprise.

Research!
said

Doug said "Our economy is the envy of the world right now--good growth-lower unemployment and we owe all that to Prime Minister Harper." --This also is completely untrue and simply a lie spread by the CPC. You know Doug, a little research would save you a lot of embarrassment.

jack
said

Does anyone know the song: YOU AIN'T SEEN NOTHING YET ?

Untrue!
said

JPC said "Actually Harper has made attempts to limit terms for senators AND to have an elected senate. Every attempt that he made to reform the senate was BLOCKED by the LIBERALS" --This is categorically untrue. I challenge you to cite evidence.

Andy in London
said

@ Cameron in Deux Montagnes: "They were DEFEATED - by the people" you are correct, they were defeated, in an election to win a seat in the house of commons. The people of those ridings will still be represented by the MP's that they elected fairly, and democratically.It is the PM's perogative who he appoints to fill vacant senate seats. It has been this way since confederation.There is nothing undemocratic about a Prime Minister exercising his rights that he has within the system.

BA in The 'Peg
said

Some Facts first, folks. Senators are appointed in this country. By law, the people must be represented by Senators and Members of Parliament, and when there are vacancies, they must be filled. I'm not a fan of re-appointing former Senators, but having said that, they did resign to run for a seat in Parliament. Senate reform needs a change in the Constitution, depending on how far it goes. PM Harper did appoint the only elected Senator from Alberta a couple of years ago. The provinces, however, have the final say in whether or not they want to have elections for Senators so that the PM may appoint them when a seat is open. I'm for either abolishing the Senate all together, or at a minimum, changing to a US model, where there are 2 Senators from each province and territory (33 in total) to ensure legislation does not harm one region over another. That's all it needs to be there for - a Regional balance.

Paul from Ont
said

After reading all the comments, some people still refuse to digest the fact that appointing an undefeated candidate to the senate is simply undemocratic and unprecedented! Also, what a strange coincidence that all the powerful offices, such as the Speaker of the House of Commons, the judges of the Supreme Court, and the Auditor General of Canada, will eventually be filled with conservatives! How can the government be held accountable if you have conservatives dominating the bureaucracy, the judicial branch and the legislative branch? The Bloc is destroyed, the Libs has no life anymore, and the NDP is useless. Thank you, Prairies, BC, and all the conservatives fans, for plunging Canada into a period of absolute monarchy!

stop your whinning
said

Oh good grief look at all the liberal supporters whinning you all sound wo pathetic.
If we would have had iggy in there we would be so far in debt that we would never get out of it.

Now maybe Prime Minister Harper can get some work done instead of waiting for some crazy blocking from those other oposition parties.

Ken
said

Harper has a majority and will do anything he wants. Canadians had a chance on election day, now shut up and enjoy the Harper's dictatorship oops I mean win.

Rob Alberta
said

Well if Your famous liberal leader wouldn't have forced this election all you Liberals wouldn't be complaining as much.I guess things never change, anyway this kind of payback for the liberal dictatorships the west has had to put up for years.Just hope Harper does a great job so he can be around for a few more terms.

Darlene
said

Excellent job Prime Minister Harper, Keep up the great work. I am so glad you are doing what you promised you would do. Can not say that for the oposition.

k markham
said

60% knew Harper would be dishonest in the way he governs, but 40% gave him a majority so we have to live with hard times for 4 years. The good news is, he will do enough damage to this country for a Conservative government to find it difficult to be re- elected for decades. The bad news is that he will do lots of damage. It is after all a democracy with some bad rules, but we do get to crush the Conservatives in 4 years. Lets hope the damage is repairable. You have to feel highly optimistic if you are a liberal.

CBBill
said

Harper promised to clean up the Senate and make it an elected one. Not to pack it with his cronies.

Steve
said

No one wanted these people as MP so Harper forces them on Canadians, real nice dictatorship we have now.

pegger
said

Like the article says, so much for an elected senate. These losers couldn't get elected so harper installs them in the senate.

Prof. Pye Chartt
said

Apparently, the bitter sore losers in the Liberal/NDP peanut gallery just can't get their head around the fact that the reformation of the Senate requires senators of like mind (ie. Conservatives, not obstinate Liberal or NDP weenies), parliamentary undertakings, and constitutional amendments that undergo provincial ratification. Furthermore, you misguided "Flip-Flop!" ranters, senators continue to be appointed, not democratically elected. Your "issue," in historical context, is ridiculous. Perhaps you folks need to take some critical time off, garner some basic and fundamental political knowledge, come to terms (Liberals) with your monumental defeat, and return refreshed...and less apt to spew foolish nonsense.

philip combs
said

After reading this I was fairly upset that Harper would do something like this at first. However upon some reflection I want to wait and see if now that he has a majority government he will move ahead with plans for an elected senate. With luck these may be some of the last senators we ever see that are unelected. Still not to sure I like the idea of appointing someone who just lost thier seat in the election, it does smell a bit... His majority government can be gone just as easily as it was created and with a lot of mistrust for the Conservatives across the country he better keep a squeeky clean image, this didn't help any.

Tory Still Wating
said

Anyone surprised! With a four year majority you get all of your less then ethical moves out of the way early or...maybe we get four more years of this! I was not surprised!

Nick Regina
said

Why does everyone think that failure to become an MP means that the person should not be a senator? If you apply for a job and don't get that position then it doesn't mean the company can't hire you for another position.But anyway, Senators don't represent a geographical area. So a specific constituency not electing them isn't a valid consideration.For those saying that are saying that Liberals and NDP view the Senate similarly, please do your homework. The NDP want more than Senate reform (as per the Conservatives), they want to abolish it entirely. Liberals want the status quo.

Tim - Calgary
said

JPC said "Actually Harper has made attempts to limit terms for senators AND to have an elected senate. Every attempt that he made to reform the senate was BLOCKED by the LIBERALS. "100% correct! The Liberals were totally against Senate reform until they started losing control of the Senate itself. Now the Liberal apologists are aghast at what Harper is doing: appointing senators exactly like Chretien and Martin both did.

Alexandria
said

Good keep a Conservative majority in the Senate so that when they vote to either elect or disband the Senate it will pass

johnson883
said

For all of you who think the Senate isnt democratic... go take a look at the definition of democracy (actual one... not an american one). It says nothing about being elected. In fact, anyone that has done really studies on democracy will tell you how important it is to have an unelected entity to compliment it. Sounds ridiculous to you perhaps but think about the imperfections that we see with our electoral system... a RESPONSIBLE Senate corrects them.

Kevin in T.O.
said

Harper and the Conservatives have tried to push for senate reform only to find obstacles from the other parties (most notably the Liberals). Now if he is still doing stuff like this 4 years from now then I would take him to task since now they have the clear mandate to make it an elected body. But I can't blame him for using the system now the way it is designed.

Mary
said

The seats in the Senate must be filled until such time as the Senate is abolished. It order to pass a bill to abolish the Senate you need to have support of the Senate. Of course Harper is going to appoint people to the Senate who will support they idea of abolishing the senate. Without Senate support the government of the day can not change this fact no matter who is in power , majority or not.

Ellie
said

And Harper's not corrupt ... ya right!

Former Liberal/Proud Conservative
said

I have looked at a few of the comments here. Give this PM a chance to do what he has said he will do. My newspaper had an article in it today stating that one of the top priorities of this government is Senate reform. I have no doubt that this PM is going to do all that he can to ensure the reform of the Senate for the benefit of all Canadians. If the PM does not do what he said he was going to do then you can deal with him in October, 2015. I believe that the Canadian people will be happy with the results that they will get from this Conservative government. Naturally, time will tell. I would simply say again to give them a chance to do their work for us.

Stuart
said

enough is enough. Abolish the senate.

Frank Wilson
said

Nice work if you can get it. Losing an election does not contaminate one; it is a fact of life for anyone who chooses to run for an office. I suppose having thought well enough of them to appoint once, seems to make sense to re-appoint if they are good people. Even so, having thought so little of the position to give it up, should perhaps motivate the PM to move on and seek a senator elsewhere.

mike Beard
said

So, if you're a Conservative, and lose the election in your riding, you get to be in the Senate? Why does this not surprise me. So much for this PM's promise to have an elected Senate. What a farce this system of ours is.

Raj
said

Good! all of them believe in SENATE reform, so now we can finally have that! WTG PM!

J.D.
said

Same old, same old.

Here are the new changes promised by the PC. Once in powere the promises for reform are gone.

Jettle
said

I thought Harper committed to senate reform. Now we see his true colours. He will just do whatever he wants now that he has a majority...

JEFF
said

the two that left the senate are refilling their old seats but Harper needs to keep the senate on the conservative side to get rid of the long gun money pit

JPC
said

Actually Harper has made attempts to limit terms for senators AND to have an elected senate. Every attempt that he made to reform the senate was BLOCKED by the LIBERALS. I don't blame Harper for doing this, if he can't beat them he might as well join them and put people in place that will support his platform instead of vote against it all the time for no good reason.

mark
said

Not to defend these senate appointments as they are clearly patronage/re-appointments of those who quit to run knowing they likely wouldn't be re-appointed; but the outrage from some of the lefties here is a little rich considering Chretien and Martin did exactly the same things and worse, and none of you were decrying the state of our democracy at that time. Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.

Cameron in Deux-Montagnes
said

I started smelling the pork as the election results were coming in. Sad that anyone can support this hypocrisy. They were DEFEATED - by the people. That is what democracy is about, Mr. Harper. You talk the talk but you sure don't walk the walk!

Visogoth
said

This goes beyond incredulous. We shouldn't be surprised that Harper continues to thumb his nose at democracy, but should be concerned that he didn't have the decency to allow for seduction and foreplay. No, Harper dives right in and gives us a clear sample of the screwing Canada is going to get over the next four years. Run and hide, the sky is indeed falling.

Jim - North Saanich, BC
said

I was hoping for far better and these appointments quell my hopes for senate reform any time in the near future. A big disappointment as I was hoping for some real change in government. It seems like nothing changes does it?

TM
said

Well that certainly didn't take long ! (When's the next election so we can vote Harper out?)

Andy Kanata
said

The members of the Senate are appointed not elected. Most of the current members have never been elected to anything - yet the press doesn't have a problem with them. What is really wrong with Ottawa is the constant whining that goes on no matter what the issue of the day is. Personally, I would like to see the Senate abolished and the money we pay these clowns used to fund the things that are needed in Canada. Who knows, maybe in his 4 year term, Harper will get rid of the lot of them. Let's hope so.

Roy Golden
said

Hey all you Lie-berals, he tried to revamp the senate but you turned him down. Live with the results of your own rules.

Doug On
said

If we have to appoint Senators, these are the most qualified people.. Don't we have enough famous entertainers, TV hosts, former employees of ministers and political bagmen from Ontario and Quebec already? Didn't Ignatieff get to go back to his old profession? In light of the history of Liberal appointments, including former MPs, these look pretty good.

dante vancouver
said

SHOCKER! Nobody expected the Spanish Inquisition, Just part of his job creation program,,

jbnova
said

This is the exact opposite of an elected senate... It's a REJECTED senate. The people made it clear they didn't want them to represent them... and Harper does this? What was all that hot air about an elected senate?

Harper Groupie
said

Interesting that all the Liberal naysayers didn't utter a peep when the balance was in their favor. Oh well.

Will
said

The man was given a majority government by the Canadian people. Honestly, what did everyone think would happen? That the Prime Minister would suddenly change his ways?

gerrard
said

Some one tell me how the previous thirteen years prior to 2006 were any different. Unitl the senete is reformed, both Conservative and Liberal governments have made these types of appointents, due to the fact that the senete holds far too much power at the present time.

cook_managar
said

No complain please!! We all trusted and voted for our PM. We gave him Majority. We give him full power to do whatever he wants.He told us he will reduce deficit but he appointed largest cabinet paper. He appointed all of his friends, fellow, goffe, micky mouse....Nothing has changed for ordinary Canadian. So bad poor Canadian they have to pay these Politian doing nothing!!PM promoted these losers to senate? It's too bad for poor Canadian voters.

David Fraser Nanoose Bay BC
said

Pity all you poor losers now complaining about Senate appointments. I'm sure if it were the Liberals or NDP that made appointments, that would be okay. Suck it up people, this is how governments work.

Gerry
said

Please, do you actually think politicians are there to help make our lives better? If you do, then you�re probably one of the delusional 55% that actually voted. The rest of us are thinking a little clearer, and see past the political farce. This appointment is an example of how politicians help themselves and their bosses, and not us. The golden rule applies. The man with the gold makes the rules. Always has been like that, always will. Our politician�s bosses are the elite few wealthy individuals in this country. It�s these wealthy individuals that actually run the country, not the politicians.

David
said

What a wrong decision being taken by our Prime Minister (actually our President)!

Jerry from NL
said

The people of NL have said not once but twice in two elections that they do not want that turncoat Fabian Manning, he turned his back on NL and laughed at the people here, now Harper puts him back in the Senate for the second time.Did Harper say he wanted senators elected by the people, well the people of NL don't want this person representing them.

Cambob in Toronto
said

Whoa... As soon as I scrolled down to the comments, my computer tilted a hard left. I can almost hear the shrieks of injustice. On a serious note, I too detest patronage like this. Having watched the Liberals do it for 4 decades, it makes me sad that the chance of the senate being reformed is unlikely.

JayRoc
said

Harper.....he didn't lie his way to the top for you. What a hypocrite.

pierce
said

just when i thought i might have been gaining a little bit of respect for old steve, i have lost all faith in the cons, i doubted them before, now the bottom is gone out of her (as we say in newfoundland). this is ridicules, especially smith who came in third, and then manning who has been rejected twice now, come on harpo

Rossco
said

When the Liberal dominated senate blocks everything then you have to play by their rules and appoint senators who will support the government thus allowing things like senate reform to pass. I'm willing to bet that we will have an elected senate in four years.

Beachtree
said

Now that's what I call JOB SECURITY - Where do I sign up for that kind of job:)

Pat, Ottawa
said

I don't know why everybody is so outraged by this.He has the right to appoint who he wants in the senate. Harper is playing by tIn fact, Harper is the one that wants to change the senate but was never able to because the opposition never allowed it.You want to be a senator? Become a friend of the PM, thats how its been for decades if not a century or two

Gis Bun
said

Harper says one thing and does another. Mr. Flip Flop himself. He appoints 3 defeated Cons from the last election including one who didn't want to go into the senate.Instead of appointing them, how about sticking to his promise and clean up how people get appointed to the Senate. By now after running the country for 5 years he has enough senators to pass any change.Hypocrit.

Doug
said

Our economy is the envy of the world right now--good growth-lower unemployment and we owe all that to Prime Minister Harper. I look forward to the next four years as our country under his leadership grows stronger.

jjaycee
said

They signed an agreement-TO RESIGN-and take their chances with being elected, when the promised "Elected Senate" becomes a reality. All of the people Harper has appointed have had to sign this agreement. There has to be a major change to the Constitution though, for the Senate to become an elected body, and of course this was never going to happen without a Majority Government and a Majority held by the Conservatives in the Senate.

Dan from Northern Ont
said

Well if they stepped down once, at least wouldn't be unheard of them willing to step down if the senate ever gets abolished. I don't really care who goes in the senate as long as they leave once reforms go out.

BrianfromSurrey
said

The election is over and now we are supposed to have 4 years of peace, so will all the whiners please refrain from crying us a river. Good on you Mr. Harper, you have a majority in the house now make sure to keep a majority in the senate and let's get the bills you promised passed.

Shempatolla in the Hammer
said

It doesn't take a "rocket surgeon" to figure out these appointments. Mr Harper intends to initiate Senate Reform. To do that he has to control the Senate. By appointing 3 Tories he know's he can depend on, he ensures Senate Reform Legislation will get passed in what was up until very recently an Upper House dominated by old cronies of Msrs Trudeau and Chretien.

fernial
said

How much money do these senators cost to us, the tax payers, and what good are they to us?
I voted CP and now I feel mocked and betraied....If this is a democracy shouldn't we be consulted as to wherther or not we consent to these appointments?
I personally voted for a CP government with the idea and hope that they would serve us according to their promises.

Dm
said

I see all the Liberals are whining. Harper has asked each Senate appointee to step down if Harper can get the Senate reformed. He is not an idiot. If he cannot as a result of the coonstitutional vetos for Quebec and Ontario he had better fill the positions or the next government will. that is why we had a Liberal Senate for the past 46 years. For those who do not like it, join the real world. At least Harper is going to try to change the rules but meanwhile he has to plan and operate under the rules of the game he is in.

Alan
said

These are three very capable people that have been appointed. Yes two were there already and ran for election and lost. So what, get over it. Mr Harper is doing what has been done by every Prime Minister. Senate reform, it will probably never come, it's too cushy a gig.

RJ in Halifax
said

For all of you claiming PM Harper is not interested in Senate Reform, take a deep breath. The Senate CANNOT be reformed without the consent of the Provinces and Territories and the agreement of the Senate itself. As strange as that last point seems, it is the law of Canada. By appointing Senators who support his position, PM Harper is at least positioning one of the required entities to support eventual abolition. This is far better then appointing those who want to maintain the status quo.

gregoryd
said

I have to wonder if all these liberal staffers and public servants appointed by the liberals are worried about their jobs. Mabye if they stopped spending so much time on this site with their partisan remarks, they would get more work done and keep their jobs. hmmm I also have to wonder if these same partisan hacks are actually getting paid for this or they just are foolish dumb kids with nothing better to do. Harper won and this is what canadians wanted so just live with it and get a life. "Amazing"

Mike Tenszen
said

Boy, that's it with me and the Senate. It is over. I always, like most Canadians, gave it the benefit of a doubt--despite the outrageous costs to hard-working Canadians of this ridiculous chamber of tax writeoffs, international travel, about six or seven weeks a year of actual work, and incredible expense accounts. But now, I am faced with supporting, from my pay cheques, three people whom Canadian electors flatly rejected, being sent back to sit there and suck up my cash for doing not all that much. Abolish the Senate!

Mark
said

I agree that the Senate is "undemocratic". However, the criticism of Mr. Harper's appointments comes from many of you who stand in the way of reforming it. You live in provinces that quickly veto any hope of making the Senate elected, equal and effective. Mr. Harper is rightfully utilizing the existing system. He will not and should not appoint non-Conservatives....otherwise they will sabatoge his government's legislation.

Prof. Sine Curve
said

Lets face it - these three senate seats need to be filled by someone. Harper would have to be a fool to put any lefties in those spots so we know that won't happen. Remember, Harper doesn't favor this - he wants an elected senate. Until now though, the Liberals and NDP have always blocked that change, mainly because the senate was stacked in their favor. If Harper fills up the senate with conservatives now maybe the Libs and N-dippers will finally come on board and positive change can be made.

you voted for it
said

Sure be nice if we had some sort of standards of intelligence as a prerequisite for sitting in the senate. They should have to be very experienced in legal matters, specifically the constitution. Making sure they are literate would be a good start, but hey, Harper is fine with appointing people who can't read as well. Just look at one of his most recent appointments who vowed to learn to read better after being appointed, and outed as illiterate.

Reality Check 842
said

So what would the Libs have done? Or the NDP? I imagine they would do the same thing, no?As for Senate reform... you can't reform the Senate if the Senate beats down any motion to refrom. The Cons must replace the Libs in Senate with like minded people before real reform can occur.

Mikey
said

Judging by the comments posted, it really sucks to be Liberal. Being irrelevant must be hard.

Chris
said

Hey people, two of these were already in the Senate, and are just being given the job back. ANY PM would do that, it helps to attract more to run from any party if they know they might get the job back. Until there IS Senate reform, it still needs to run. Every person the PM has appointed has agreed to a limited term, not a job for life, and no other PM has sought that agreement. He could have appointed 3 Libs that didn't get elected and the whiners here would still complain.

Jay R in Abbotsford
said

Did anyone else notice the sign on the podium in front of Mr Harper? It says (in French) "Create Jobs".If appointing his friends and cronies is how Harper intends to creates job in Canada, we're in for a long 4 years....

Johnson883
said

Nice of him to appoint three people that Canadians did not want in power... shows he cares about what Canada wants. I would like to add that we don't need senate reform, we need senate enforcement. I bet most of you dont know that Senators can be removed if they are not doing a proper job. Harper might know that (he isnt exactly a constitutional expert) but he would ignore it cause he just wants it gone, no matter what the majority of our country would prefer

Lz in Edmonton
said

All of you who say he is a hypocrite have no clue that to CHANGE the rules, requires not only Commons approval and Senate Approval, but there would be constitutional changes necessary that 7 out of the 10 provinces would have to agree on. So this would not occur for YEARS. In the mean time, appointing senators is the ONLY way to go forward. So Get off your VERY SMALL soap box.

Margaret
said

Easy to justify! So long as the Liberals and other opponents of Senate Reform continue to NOT support Senate Reform, then this is the law and the PM has every right to do as he has done. BTW, I do note that two of these appointees were already Senators, who resigned to run in an election that no one else wanted except the Official Opposition, which is now a distant 3rd in terms of seats in the HOC. Suck it up, buttercup. You asked for it. You got it.

Rick @ Ottawa
said

Liberals continue to respond like a bunch of sore losers. BOO-HOO. Harper promised to reform the senate and he will. The grass roots of the conservative party will revolt if he doesn't. The HOC isn't even sitting yet - relax and give the PM a chance.

Wes Sasktoon
said

I suppose the Liberals would never do that?

david in Que.
said

reforming the Senate is a constitutional issue therefore requires the approval of a majority of the provinces representing a majority of the population.The great lie here is that Harper can make these changes on his own with Senate approval.That is not the way it works folks or perhaps Harper plans on doing this unilaterly and think no one in the country will dare to challenge him.Like the GG or Supreme Court as examples

pINvictoria
said

We can all blame those Canadians who voted for this not PM Harper. I am only thnkful I supported another party and can no credit for this backwoods political meandering!

Luis Reyes
said

How come people did not see what was going to happen with a Harper's majority (Conservative)...
Shame on Harper's appointment of 3 losers to the Senate, SHAME.....

onepoorcowboy
said

This is good news for Senate reform. We need to have Senators in place that will support senate reform. Do you think if the senate was packed with Liberal or NDP Senators, that they would approve Senate reform? Of course not, they will lose their comfy jobs, and big salaries. Now that we have more balance in the Senate, this measure of Senate reform will be passed and we can finally have a Senate that isn't a joke. Yet another brilliant move by the best PM canada has ever had. The PC's just earned my vote in the next election....NEXT let's get rid of the idiotic long gun registry.

James
said

I have no issue with that. Status quo pretty much. Why some of you want to get your panties in a knot is beyond me.

Mark in Wpg
said

Another day, another broken con promise. Why reform the senate when it can be abused in your favor?

Big A
said

Mark in Vcryou are absolutely right! HOWEVER, this is why we needed a conservative majority so that Harper can modify or abolish the senate. Unfortuately with a majority government Chretien never had the where-with-all to even discuss this awful system.I vote for abolishment of the senate but I think it will end up as an elected senate go Harper go

Dib
said

Look the arogant nature of a leader. In the public eye who is not quite accectable is set to be honoured for screwing them. man of judgement.

MyView
said

"To have senate reform you need an appointed senate that supports this idea. Pretty hard to abolish a group that has final say on the matter. Harper is not flip flopping but creating an environment to bring about this change. If in a few years this does not happen then we can criticize his appointments." CMQ you are absolutely right! Without this kind of move real Senate change won't be accomplished - a very smart move on Harper's part, again!!!

Greg from Victoria
said

Haper, you should have done this 5 years ago but now you have a majority, it's time to give provinces a chance to hold elections. If they don't, then put your boys in the Senate but if they hold an election, then appoint they're choice!

Denise
said

To all the whiners - Get over it. The other parties would have done EXACTLY the same thing and, like it or not, in order to finally accomplish what he has set out to do, this is a smart move by Harper. Hopefully he'll follow it up with passing legislation for an elected senate that can be grandfathered in.

Ian
said

Let's see here. Of the 22 prior comments a mere 4 supported the decision of our Prime Minister. Mr Harper does more flip flops to suit his agenda than what Greg Joy did in the Olympics. Larry Smit lost (in my riding) and not even second and he said that was it yet Mr Harper comes through with this gift. If we want Senate reform then abolish it completely and either start from scratch with elected members or have regional representation. I sure wish I had such a comfortable cushion to fall back on if I lost my position. Not beinga Conservative fan, I wanted to give Mr Harper the benefit of the doubt with a majority government, however following this and as one said, "four more years".

AlphaOmega
said

That's OK, Harper. This country now belongs to you.

Elated in Ottawa
said

Good candidates all of them considering the first task will be to take apart the senate, brick by brick. This is a real step towards reform.

Catwoman 38
said

So much for non partisan appointments.Honeslty, I don't see a change of direction at all, just a few new faces to take and direct orders. That is it, thats all.Not exactly what 60% of the voters in Canada want for our country.

Gregory Wollf
said

@Mark VancouverThe Senate is not voted in, it is appointed by the Prime Minister. There's nothing democratic about the Senate and there never has been. This isn't something to be outraged over, it's always been this way and every PM has done this in the past.

James in Vanier
said

Stupid Jean Chretien, appointing people in the Senate, and who does Paul Martin think he is....Oh wait, I thought this was back int 1990's when the Side Face filled up the Senate with all of his buddies. I think the Liberals supporters and just yelling, good bye to the Liberals, I give you 3 more months until your new leader Bob Rea merges with the NDP...HAHAHAHA 34 seats. Just relax and let yourself slip into obscurity.

DW
said

CMQ, you have it right. Most of the rest of the commenters are either bleeding heart liberals or socialists, who lost the election, by the way. Maybe now we can eventually get a senate that does something constructive or get rid of it, one or the other.

Jim in Ontario
said

It truly is amazing that Manning and Smith resigned their Senate seats to run for parliament. I could never imagine a Liberal doing that. This government is a breath of fresh air and hopefully the new appointments are limited to eight years when Senate reform gets underway.

Gerald
said

Good Stephen, now that your hands aren't tied, let's get on with it.

Arrenbe
said

Remember when Harper refused to appoint any Senators unless they were selected democratically, as Alberta did? Other provinces refused to democratically select nominees. The Senate refused to participate in Senate reform. The Liberals and NDP refused to cooperate. Apparently they felt that the only ligitimate thing for Harper to do was to continue to appoint Liberal hacks who were against Senate reform. When it came to the point where parliament couldn't function because there were too few Senators to do the job, Harper took the next best course: he appointed Senators who were committed to Senate reform. The constitution doesn't let him unilaterally amend its terms, so he is doing what he can, and where a province elects their nominees, he has always appointed them.

Prof. Pye Chartt
said

Did some of you clinical anti-Conservative, anti-Harper clowns expect the PM to fill the three Senate vacancies with a former Bloc Quebecois member, a former Liberal member, and a former NDP member? There's absolutely nothing wrong with putting two former senators back in place, in short order, and appointing a third qualified individual (a former cabinet minister) who happened to have just lost her seat. Stephen Harper could have selected God, Jesus, and Mother Teresa for the Senate and the usual collection of bitter sore losers in the Liberal/NDP peanut gallery would STILL find fault and a reason to be outraged. Spare us the incessant whining. (Does this mark the beginning of "Phase 2" of your posting careers as chronic partisan complainers?)

Bruce
said

What do you expect, bigger cabinet, more "friends" in the senate, and this time he is not asking for an eight year limit either. What a hypocrite, not any better than the Liberals at ork barreling

anhaga
said

So much for Harper's dedication to democracy. The people have voted and the people have asked these three to stay out of Parliament. Harper truly does have contempt for Parliament, for democracy, and for the people.

melissa
said

I thought you wanted to get rid of the senate Mr. Harper? Oh, I forgot you want absolute power and you also want to earn the trust of Canadians. This isn't going to do it. The reward of a right wing agenda.

A in Halifax
said

If the constituents in that riding didn't think they were worthy of representing them again, why would the PM or any of the posters here think that they are good appointments. What happened to reforming the senate? Another lie from this PM.

Boris Bagel
said

maybe if Larry would have finished 2nd May 2, he would have been named governor general... wait, is that a better posting...

Joseph in Eastern Passage
said

Just for the record, senate reform requires more than just a willing Prime Minister and House. It also requires a majority vote of the provinces (I think It's actually 7 of 10). So expect to see more of the same much-maligned partisan appointments by the same party that maligned them so much in the first place. :-)

Common Sense
said

This is not unusual in politics. They do the same thing down south. McCain and Kerry are still U.S. senators despite the fact they ran for president. Palin was still governor for a while until she decided to cash in on her new-found fame.Look for Harper to eventually push the "elected senate" agenda now that he won't be blocked at every turn by the opposition. He's filling vacant seats until that happens.

PBW
said

For those complaining that Harper is not following his plans for senate reform, just remember that passing the necessary legislation in a minority situation would have been impossible, and until such legislation is passed, he is obliged by law to appoint senators. With a majority in both house and senate, i expect legislation will be forthcoming to require senators to be elected within their province, and that their terms be limited as well. That should give an elected and effective senate: getting equal representation for all provinces will require a constitutional amendment. Does anyone see Ontario or Quebec supporting that?

Steve T
said

He's reforming the Senate. What a joke! This is a travesty of the democratic process.

Mark Vancouver
said

So much for democracy ! The people of Canada voted against these characters and Harper just goes and appoints them to another high paying, patronage position. This is absurd and it will be interesting to see all you Cons justify this one.

fed up
said

He is an hypocrite he his giving his friends nice comfy jobs for life that will do anything he wants he not any better than the Liberal party,thank you you conservative lovers out there for giving this power hungry maniac total power of this country .

Liars Elected
said

At a time when citizens need someone in leadership they can respect, Harper continues to show disrespect to the citizens. Lot's a class there Steve, lot's of class. Of course every right winger on this forum is going to come back with "well that's what the Liberals did when. . ." but nobody cares about what happened then. What matters is now and now we've got a copy cat not a leader. Come Steven do what you said you'd do. For once prove you're not a liar. Do the honorable things after all aren't we supposed to call you the "Right Honorable" or is that in name only?

markelsparkel
said

Here we go, I thought Harper was going to reform the Senate...1st promise gone, They haven;t even started parliament and Harper has lied to us....I can't wait for next 4 years...

Greg - Signs and Wonders
said

Nothing has changed, nor will change.... friendship appointments... nepotism, favourtism... back-door-ism.... Term limits, and do that to my friends NO WAY ?!

Not Surprised
said

This is low even for Harper and I'm sure this is only the beginning. Why is he appointing senators after claiming he never would and now he's appointing losers!

CMQ
said

To have senate reform you need an appointed senate that supports this idea. Pretty hard to abolish a group that has final say on the matter. Harper is not flip flopping but creating an environment to bring about this change. If in a few years this does not happen then we can criticize his appointments.

TC in TO
said

This is where we lose respect for the Prime Minister and for the Senate. The Senate should be staffed with eminent, experienced Canadians that could provide instruction and guidance on legislation that is being passed by elected Parliamentarians. I do not want my Senators elected but I also don't want them appointed by the Prime Minister. We have to find a third way.

Bucko
said

So much for his elected Senate but then again this PM flip flops all over the place. Wonder what the Senators in waiting and Alberta voters think of their favourite Son's appointments.

sph
said

Only four more years...only four more years of this...can't wait.

Christopher
said

An overwhelming sense of *Deja Moo* ... the feeling we`ve all heard this bull before!

Ian Ottawa
said

I am not a fan of the Senate, in fact I think it is a waste of money from our taxes. This should have been abolished as well as the Governor General. Patronage appointments are just wrong in my opinion. We need Politicians that are honest and working for us, not themselves and Corporations.

Cal in Ottawa
said

Two back to the trough, one new inductee. Why am I not surprised?? So sad.

Redneck Albertan
said

Those who can, do. Those who can't, teach. In Ottawa, those who win, do. Those who lose, win. -As long as they lost for the winning team. Isn't it nice to know there is a place where the rules of the real world take a back seat? :)

Laurie
said

I have no problem with these appointments at all. All three of these folks are worthy and capable. The only problem I have with today's announcements is the fact that Bev Oda would even be considered for an appointment after having been proved a liar and showing such disrespect for parliament as to stand up and deliberately lie. Other than that, well done MR. Harper.

Doug from Whitehorse
said

Yoo hoo. Fabian Manning and Larry Smith resigned from the Senate. Putting them back, particularly after Larry Smith stated publicly that he would expect to be put back in after losing, shows the most incredible gall.But, Stephen Harper is, after all, a politician, so expecting even a scraping of honour or integrity is probably way out of line.

Bernadette/Windsor, ON
said

I'm happy that PM Stephen Harper appoints these 3 great conservatives to senate; Larry Smith, Fabian Manning, Josee Verner. Great Job!

John
said

Ludicrous. Absolutely ludicrous.

Has anyone in the history of this country quit the Senate only to run for the Commons, fail, and be reappointed?

Meet your new Canada folks!

needreform
said

Ok, a couple more spots in September, good to know there are enough senators who want reform

Stella in Toronto
said

Perhaps now we have a Conservative majority we will get the senate reform Harper has been wanting.

Tom in Calgary
said

Same old Liberal ways. Wait a minute...

Jeremy
said

There you go, there you go. What did I say. I can't say what I think of this Flip Flop artist. All you conservative supporters on here, look back and remember when your fearless leader promised to revamp the House of Sober Second thought. My next prediction, 2 tier Healthcare.

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