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http://www.theglobeandmail.com/serv...Story/National/

PM vetoes Alberta's Senate proposal

By BRIAN LAGHI and KATHERINE HARDING
From Thursday's Globe and Mail

POSTED AT 1:48 AM EST Thursday, Nov 18, 2004


Ottawa and Edmonton — Ralph Klein's hopes to have elected senators from Alberta sit in the Red Chamber were dashed by Paul Martin yesterday, despite what the Premier took to be a pledge from the Prime Minister to act on the issue.

Mr. Martin, who is charged with appointing senators, told the House of Commons yesterday that Senate reform cannot be done on a one-off basis. Three of Alberta's six seats in the 105-member Senate are vacant.

“I have long been an advocate of Senate reform. However, I do not believe that doing Senate reform piecemeal would really bring us the desired result,” the Prime Minister said in Question Period.

“What it could quite well do is simply exacerbate a number of the problems. What I think we should do is look at Senate reform but look at it in its entirety.”

His comments came as a surprise to Mr. Klein, who said this week that the Prime Minister had told him privately a year ago that he would look favourably on making such appointments.

“He's very disappointed. . . . This is unexpected,” said Marisa Etmanski, Mr. Klein's spokeswoman.

“[Mr. Martin] is also not giving us a good reason.”

She said Mr. Klein viewed the idea of an elected Senate as an “opportunity for the Prime Minister to prove he's serious about listening to Western Canada issues.”

The Prime Minister was answering criticisms yesterday from Opposition Leader Stephen Harper, who asked Mr. Martin to drop his long-standing opposition to naming elected senators.

Mr. Harper has said that, if elected, he would appoint elected senators.

Conservative MP Dave Chatters added his voice to those calling for the appointments, telling Mr. Martin that it would be a good way to address western anger.

“The time has come for this Prime Minister to listen to Albertans,” said Mr. Chatters.

“If he really wants to address western alienation, the time is now.”

The party's critic for intergovernmental affairs, Rona Ambrose, also noted that appointing a member to the Senate does not require a constitutional amendment.

Former prime minister Brian Mulroney appointed the late Stan Waters in the early 1990s after a similar Alberta vote.

However, other nominees have not been, while the Liberal government refuses to reopen the debate.

Next Monday, Albertans will go to the polls in a special Senate election taking place alongside the provincial vote.

Ten people, including Link Byfield, the former publisher of the defunct Alberta Report magazine, are candidates in the contest, which will cost the province $3-million to run.

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