Aaron Wherry/CBC: Harder, who served as the government representative in the Senate from 2016 to 2020 and authored a 51-page discussion paper in 2018 on the upper chamber’s role, says he does not see Carney’s changes to the application process as a reversal of Trudeau’s reforms.
Instead, Harder sees an “acknowledgement that political experience is helpful in a legislative body, even an appointed one.” In the past, Harder says, he advocated behind the scenes for more senators with legislative experience. And he hopes some new senators join the Conservative Senate caucus (two of Trudeau’s appointees already have), which Harder believes has still played a valuable role over the last 10 years.
The idea of an independent Senate would actually be threatened, Harder says, if senators were invited back into the Liberal caucus…