Independent Senators won’t take orders from Harder, say new appointees

Independent Senators appointed by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau say they have no plan to vote as a group or at the government’s instruction, despite whispers in the Senate that they are really "closet Liberals." “You should never expect us to vote as a bloc,” said Independent Senator Frances Lankin in an interview. However, some in the Senate don't appear to be convinced that Independent Senators are in fact independent of the government, said Sen. Lankin and Senator André Pratte, both of whom were among the seven independents appointed by Mr. Trudeau (Papineau, Que.) on the advice of an advisory committee earlier this year. Subtle remarks made in committee meetings and the Senate chamber have led Sen. Pratte to believe some Senators consider the Trudeau appointees as “closet Liberals,” he said. “It’s in the air, I would say,” said Sen. Pratte. Those remarks were coming from both Conservative Senators and Senate Liberals, with some of the Liberals appearing to "take it for granted" that Independent Senators would side with them, said Sen. Pratte. He declined to name any Senators or elaborate on the comments that were made. “I must say I feel uncomfortable by being put in one camp, because that’s not who I am,” he said. Senate Liberal Leader James Cowan wrote to the newly appointed Independent Senators in April, inviting them to join or co-operate with his caucus, the Huffington Post reported. Sen. Lankin said she was told privately by one Senator that “there’s no independence here,” and "you have to pick a side.” Another Senator told her that he or she would have to "see how you vote" before believing she was truly independent, she said. Sen. Lankin declined to name the Senators who made those remarks. “We’ve all experienced it,” she said, referring to the new Senators appointed as Independents by Mr. Trudeau. Sen. Lankin said some Conservative and Liberal Senators have shown "disdain" for the role and title of the government leader in the Senate, Peter Harder—he prefers the term "representative" to leader—who was also appointed as an Independent by Mr. Trudeau but was tasked with bringing government legislation through the Senate. “It appears to me that some of the Senators do not believe the prime minister is attempting to bring about an independence for the Senate with the appointment of these new Senators,” she said, adding she plans to move forward by working with the Senators in each caucus who are committed to reforming the Senate. Conservative Senators Linda Frum, Denise Batters, Nicole Eaton, and Donald Plett, and Senate Liberals Joan Fraser and Jim Munson are among those who have criticized or called into question the independence of Sen. Harder and his deputies, their preferred titles, or the series of events that began with Sen. Harder's appointment to lead Mr. Trudeau's government transition team and ended with his appointment as an Independent Senator. Ind. Sen. Pratte sponsoring government bill Sen. Lankin, Sen. Pratte, and Independent Senator Raymonde Gagné, another of the new Independents appointed by Mr. Trudeau, each pointed to Senate responsibilities to protect the constitution, regional diversity, and minority interests as their guide to reviewing and voting on legislation in the Upper House. The Senate has not yet voted on a government bill since the seven Senators appointed by Mr. Trudeau began their terms in early April. Each of the three Senators pledged to uphold the Senate's customary deference to the elected House, except in exceptional circumstances, but rejected the idea that they would answer to the Sen. Harder or his deputies behind the scenes. “I’m not subject to the will of a whip,” said Sen. Pratte. Sen. Harder has, however, asked Independent Senators to sponsor government legislation in the Senate. Sen. Pratte has agreed to sponsor Bill C-10 once it reaches the Senate. The controversial bill, currently at third reading in the House, would change the law requiring Air Canada to conduct maintenance work in Winnipeg, Montreal, and Mississauga and would instead allow the airline to do maintenance anywhere in Quebec, Ontario, and Manitoba, and allow it to dictate the number of people employed in those places and type of work done there. House Speaker Geoff Regan had to break a rare tie in the House of Commons last week in favour of the government after the opposition united to vote against Bill C-10 while many Liberal MPs were not in the House. Sen. Pratte said Sen. Harder “did not pressure me in any manner at all” to introduce the bill, which Sen. Pratte said he believes is necessary for the economic health of Quebec and Manitoba. Sen. Harder wrote in an emailed statement that he would ask "various Senators" to sponsor legislation when it comes to the Senate, which was "consistent with past practice." Sen. Harder has named a whip and deputy from the group of independent MPs to assist him. Neither Sen. Harder’s whip, Senator Grant Mitchell—a former Liberal—nor his deputy, Senator Diane Bellemare—a former Conservative—were part of the group of Senators appointed by Mr. Trudeau. However, Sen. Mitchell—who prefers the term "liaison"—told the CBC earlier this month that he doesn’t have the sort of leverage a whip would traditionally have over a caucus, and that strong-arming Senators to vote with the government would in any case be “inconsistent with where we're going and what we're hoping to create.” Sen. Lankin echoed that point, noting that Sen. Harder and the government don’t have the same tools as leaders of traditional caucuses—such as controlling who sits on committees, or how office space is allocated—that can be used to pressure members to fall into line. “I don’t think that the word ‘pressure’ is the right word in this situation. Because there is no pressure that can be brought to bear,” she said. Sen. Lankin said she was surprised that the Senate Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration Committee voted down a request by Sen. Harder for an extra $886,000 to add to his budget, similar to that received by the last government leader in the Senate, on the grounds that Sen. Harder and his deputies did not have a caucus to lead. “They can’t manage a caucus, but they are responsible for managing legislation coming through, and that means engaging with a lot of Independent Senators as well as partisan-caucus Senators,” she said. Sen. Harder has been “civil” and “polite” in his dealings with the Independent Senators, said Sen. Pratte. The government, Sen. Harder, and his deputies have also repeatedly said they would not try to control Independent Senators, despite Sen. Harder’s role guiding government legislation through a Senate where Conservatives have the largest caucus. Independent Senators currently account for 23 of the 86 occupied seats in the Upper House, while the Senate Liberals—whom Mr. Trudeau severed from his caucus in 2014—hold 21, and the Conservatives, still tied to their House caucus, hold 42 seats. Were the Conservatives to vote as a group against government legislation, only a united and nearly unanimous effort by the Independent and Liberal Senators could defeat them. Committee troubles could be solved in June: Lankin The Senate Independents meet regularly to discuss procedural issues, such as securing spots on committees or problems accessing information, said Sen. Lankin. Until recently, Independent Senators did not receive notes from the daily meetings between Senate caucus leaders and the Senate clerk, which lay out the plan for who will do and say what in the chamber that day, she said. That was rectified after the issue was raised in one of the meetings of Independent Senators, which have been organized by Senator Elaine McCoy, said Sen. Lankin. None of the Independent Senators appointed by Mr. Trudeau currently has a spot on a Senate committee. Each committee has agreed to open up a pair of spots for Independents, and the unaffiliated Senators are discussing amongst themselves who should sit on which committee, said Sen. Lankin. The group hopes to have the issue sorted out before the end of June, she said. Making room for Independent Senators on the Senate Ethics Committee has proven especially contentious, The National Post reported. The rules for the committee require that at least two of the four members of the committee come from the government caucus, but technically there no longer is a government caucus in the Senate. peter@hilltimes.com @PJMazereeuw

Independent Senators won’t take orders from Harder, say new appointees

Still, some Senators whisper that new appointees are 'closet Liberals,’ says Sen. Pratte.

Health misinformation is hurting patients and undermining trust. Let’s do something about it.

News

Get free news updates

Opinion

Submit a guest opinion article

resources

Follow us

Advertise

subscribe

get help

Get free news updates

Submit a guest opinion article

Independent Senators won’t take orders from Harder, say new appointees

Still, some Senators whisper that new appointees are 'closet Liberals,’ says Sen. Pratte.

Become a Political Insider