Independent Senators – Trudeau was against it before he was for it

This morning, Liberal leader Justin Trudeau announced that all Liberal senators would be removed from the liberal caucus. He then promised to make “non-partisan appointments” in the Senate.

We welcome Mr. Trudeau’s decision to finally agree with our proposal from last October to _“__end Senators' partisan activities”_ and remove Senators from party caucuses.

Last October the NDP forced a vote on ending partisanship in the Senate, and Mr. Trudeau voted against it. When asked why he said:

“Because I respect the Constitution of Canada. And regardless of what the NDP might wish to make political hay over, we don't have the capacity in the House of Commons to, on a simple majority vote, eliminate pieces of the Canadian Constitution. It is more robust than that, and I think it's yet again another opportunity for the NDP to actually think through its proposals, particularly in regards to the Canadian Constitution which it needs to respect a bit.” – Justin Trudeau, CBC, October 26, 2013

And Mr. Trudeau’s Democratic Reform critic, Stephane Dion, piled on the criticism for the NDP’s proposal to make Senators sit as independents, calling it “ridiculous” and “certainly against the Constitution.”

Canadians deserve better.