It was announced Monday morning that by acclamation, Senator Yuen Pau Woo and Senator Raymonde Saint-Germain won the positions of Facilitator and Deputy Facilitator of the Independent Senators Group, replacing Senator Elaine McCoy, who opted not to run again. That this large and growing group of senators soon to hold the plurality of the Upper Chamber is now being led by a team with very little parliamentary experience is going to mean interesting times ahead, and there could be red flags on the horizon if they aren't careful.
To start off with, I will admit that I'm not too familiar with either Woo or Saint-Germain, and I'm frankly shocked that some of the more forceful personalities within the ISG didn't make bids for the leadership positions themselves, especially considering how much some of them had been clamouring for media attention and trying to position themselves in the public eye that it would have seemed like going for leadership positions would be a natural next step. That didn't happen, so we'll see if that is because they have opted to spend their time and attention for advocating for some particular causes that they are taking activist positions about, or if they're biding their time to make a bid during the next go-around, letting Woo and Saint-Germain do the heavy-lifting that will be required of them in the coming months.
What I do know of Woo has largely to do with the fact that he volunteered to sponsor the government's budget implementation bill through the Senate, but his goals were to act not as a proponent of the legislation, but as a shepherd through the Senate's processes something which makes me a bit uneasy given that this is very much the kind of bill that a minister of the Crown meaning the Leader of the Government in the Senate should be responsible for in the Senate in order to ensure that it conforms with the norms of Responsible Government, and that a money bill was overseen by someone in Cabinet. That the current Government Leader err, "government representative," Senator Peter Harder (who is not in Cabinet) saw fit to pass this money bill off onto someone who is not affiliated with the governing party is troubling for the direction that the Senate is headed.
As part of his job as shepherd, Woo's goal was for it to be as scrutinized as effectively as possible something that should realistically be the job of an opposition critic, making the blurring of roles problematic. By all accounts, Woo did a good job of it, ensuring that all of his colleagues had as much information as possible, and made sure to organize briefings with department officials outside of the committee study in order to ensure that their technical questions were answered, but again, that blurring of roles makes me uneasy, especially now that he is taking a leadership position for what will soon be the largest caucus group in the Senate.
As part of their letter to members of the ISG to explain their joint candidacy, Woo and Saint-Germain explained that they saw the work of the ISG as being able to change the entire institution of the Senate something that sets off my Westminster warning bells.
In keeping with the ideals of the ISG as being a caucus of independents, they pledged that each member of that caucus has the right to vote freely "without hindrance or retaliation," in the Chamber or on committee, and that they would not take any actions that would compromise that independence of thought or action, in appearance or reality. They also pledged a collegial governance style, and that would use the different expertise of the members of the ISG, and that they would be transparent with the funds conferred upon the group for their shared services.
"Our parliamentary ethics are based on respect for the institution of the Senate and the protection of its rights and privileges," they wrote. "This respect extends to all senators, whatever their origin or affiliation, and to the solemn role of the Speaker."
Rights and privileges are well and good to talk about, but my questions now extend to how they plan to extend theses protections in the face of Senator Harder's push for an external oversight model being pushed for by the Auditor General which would compromise the privileges of the Senate and would grievously damage its role as a self-governing institution. Because these are new senators taking on this role, do they have enough of an appreciation for the depth and scope of the privileges of the institution that they are claiming respect for? When you have someone like Harder preaching the dubious gospels of "what the Fathers of Confederation intended" when it comes to creating his particular vision of the Senate without there being any party caucuses one that would be much more pliable for him to co-opt I worry that too many of the new senators won't have sufficient knowledge to push back against this move.
I know that Woo and Saint-Germain will have a busy few weeks as they try to get the ISG's ducks in a row in advance of the sessional order expiring on October 31st, at which point they will have to determine how the ISG will play along with other caucuses when it comes to things like committee membership and leadership, and the role they will play with the Internal Economy Committee. There is the question of whether the ISG will make a play to become the Official Opposition once they have plurality in the Chamber when the next round of appointments are made, though I'm told that Woo and Saint-Germain will be consulting with the rest of the ISG on that matter. What they decide could shape the future of the Senate, and I intend to keep a close eye on events as they happen.
Photo Credit: Senate of Canada
