Canadian Leaders Reach Agreement on Reform of Senate

Canada’s political leaders said they have reached agreement on reforming this country’s Senate, clearing a major hurdle in their quest for a broad constitutional deal that would keep Canada united.

“There is a basis for unanimous agreement (among Canada’s 10 provincial premiers) on Senate reform,” Prime Minister Brian Mulroney told reporters after two days of closed-door negotiations.

Mulroney added, however, that he and the all-powerful provincial premiers will continue their constitutional talks today and stated that disagreements on the remaining agenda items could still unravel the hard-won Senate deal.

“Until everything is agreed to, nothing is agreed to,” Mulroney said.

Canadian politicians have been struggling for months to craft a broad package of constitutional amendments that would please the French-speaking province of Quebec, without alienating the nine English-speaking provinces. Quebec has never ratified the existing constitution, saying the document doesn’t do enough to protect Quebec’s French heritage.

Quebec now threatens to hold a referendum on sovereignty in late October, unless English-speaking Canada offers it palatable constitutional reforms. Negotiators have announced a number of potential deals so far, but each has collapsed under the weight of hostile public opinion soon after it was unveiled.

In the latest announcement, Mulroney said he and the 10 premiers have agreed on a revamped Senate with six seats for each province, plus one seat for each of Canada’s two northern territories.

Since that configuration means that populous Quebec and Ontario would lose their current control of the Senate, Mulroney said they would be compensated with new seats in the House of Commons.

Mulroney said in particular that Quebec, which has steadfastly opposed provincial equality in the Senate, would be guaranteed at least 25% of the seats in the House of Commons. Quebec now constitutes about 25% of the Canadian population, though demographers say its relative size is shrinking as other provinces grow.

A permanent Quebec bloc in the House of Commons is sure to raise eyebrows in English-speaking Canada--particularly in the provinces of Alberta and Newfoundland, where public opinion roundly favors equality for all provinces.

Mulroney denied that the new parliamentary seats for Quebec would constitute a special status for the French-speaking province.