Editor:
It's been quite a while since I've used this forum to express my take on the monarchy and the Canadian Senate.
The recent Mike Duffy scandal seems to have blown over -unfortunately - and the "same old, same old" Canadian Senate survives unscathed in Ottawa.
Let me quote a couple of excerpts from previous letters:
January 2010: "We should start with the Senate (that mythical body of sober second thought) and seriously consider breaking ties with a distant monarchy that has long since ceased to have any real interest in how Canada is being governed."
And July 2011: "The UK has joined the EU and whatever the Commonwealth once was, it no longer has relevance in today's world. So let's let Elizabeth finish her reign and let our fond farewell to her be our final farewell to the monarchy. Since there's little likelihood that meaningful Senate reform will ever be okayed by a sufficient number of provinces, it makes more sense to put the question of complete abolishment to the Canadian people. It's time for Canadians to have an elected government in every sense of the word."
Yes, I feel like the proverbial voice crying in the wilderness. But maybe, just maybe, the recent exposure of senator shenanigans may get a considerable number of influential Canadians to say, "Enough already".
Hope springs eternal.
John Bradley,
St. Patrick's Road
