Ottawa

In other news, the Senate still exists

The upper chamber grapples with union disclosure and sports betting

While the RCMP investigates various senators, the Senate is about to explore the parameters of its own existence.

Conservative senators are apparently uncomfortable with C-377, the union disclosure bill by Conservative MP Russ Hiebert. Meanwhile, C-290, the sports betting bill sponsored by NDP MP Brian Masse, has been stalled in the Senate for seven months without a final vote.

There are certainly serious concerns about C-377, but if you’re a New Democrat who opposes the bill, you probably can’t endorse any changes made by the Senate—especially after the Senate killed the Climate Change Accountability Act and stalled the bill that sought to make pharmaceuticals more readily available for humanitarian efforts.

Meanwhile, if you’re a Conservative who spent the years between 2006 and 2009 lamenting the actions of “unelected and unaccountable Liberal senators,” you’ve at least got to update your lament.

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