Justin Trudeau Removes 32 Senators from the Liberal Caucus

January 29, 2014: Liberal leader Justin Trudeau has removed 32 Liberal Senators from the Liberal caucus in an effort to display his seriousness towards cleaning up the Senate. Extreme patronage and partnership are at the root of the Senate expenses scandal, which has engulfed the upper chamber for more than a year, Trudeau mentioned at a news conference on Parliament Hill.

Further Trudeau added that “The Senate was once referred to as a place of sober, second thought. A place that allows for reactive deliberation on legislation, in-depth studies into issues of import to the country, and, to a certain extent, provide a check and balance on the politically driven House of Commons.”

“It has become obvious that the party structure within the Senate interferes with these responsibilities.”

“The 32 formerly Liberal senators are now independent of the national Liberal caucus,” Trudeau said. “They are no longer part of our parliamentary team. There are no more Liberal senators.”

The Liberal leader also mentioned that “Instead of being separate from political or electoral concerns, senators now must consider not just what’s best for their country, or their regions, but what’s best for their party.”