Close X
Thursday, November 28, 2024
ADVT 
Health

Lawyer Aniz Alani Offers To Drop Court Case If PM Trudeau Agrees To Senate Vacancy Time Limit

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 02 Mar, 2016 12:50 PM
  • Lawyer Aniz Alani Offers To Drop Court Case If PM Trudeau Agrees To Senate Vacancy Time Limit
OTTAWA — A Vancouver lawyer who has filed a constitutional challenge over prolonged Senate vacancies is willing to drop the suit if Prime Minister Justin Trudeau agrees to set clear timelines for filling empty seats in the upper house.
 
Ideally, Aniz Alani wants the prime minister to pass legislation stipulating that Senate seats be filled within six months of falling vacant.
 
But at a minimum, he wants Trudeau to make it clear that he does not agree with predecessor Stephen Harper's view that the prime minister has unfettered discretion to fill Senate seats when — or if — he chooses.
 
If Trudeau does that and sets out a timeline for filling vacancies, Alani says in a letter to the prime minister that he's willing to save taxpayers the expense of a continued court challenge.
 
Alani filed his case 14 months ago, after Harper expressed no interest in filling the 16 vacancies which had piled up since he last appointed a senator in March 2013.
 
By the time Trudeau took office last fall, the number of vacancies in the 105-seat chamber had risen to 22; another two seats have fallen vacant since then while Trudeau's fledgling government is in the process of launching a new arm's-length, merit-based process for appointing non-partisan senators.
 
"Never since Confederation has there been as many empty seats as exists today," Alani says in his letter to Trudeau.
 
 
"While most of those vacancies accumulated before you took office as prime minister, the fact remains that the level of representation guaranteed by the Constitution has worsened, not improved, during your watch."
 
Alani acknowledges that Trudeau is committed to filling Senate seats, based on the recommendations of a newly created, independent, Senate advisory board. The board is expected to soon recommend nominees to fill five vacancies, with the remainder to be filled over the course of the year.
 
While he applauds the new process, Alani says it's still "an experiment in its very early stages" and he notes that the government seems to be proceeding "cautiously," leaving a number of provinces with considerably less than their constitutionally guaranteed representation in the Senate.
 
He asks that Trudeau publicly explain whether he agrees that the Constitution requires Senate vacancies to be filled within a reasonable time — the same declaration Alani is seeking from the courts.
 
"Waiting for the courts to consider weighing in is not the only option and it's certainly not the most cost-effective option," Alani says in the letter.
 
"As prime minister, you are uniquely positioned to set standards for when Senate vacancies will be filled now and in the future."

MORE Health ARTICLES

E. Coli Outbreak Linked To Chipotle Has Spread East; Victims Now Found In 6 U.S. States

E. Coli Outbreak Linked To Chipotle Has Spread East; Victims Now Found In 6 U.S. States
NEW YORK — An outbreak of E. coli linked to Chipotle that originated in the Pacific Northwest has spread south and east and has now infected people in six states.

E. Coli Outbreak Linked To Chipotle Has Spread East; Victims Now Found In 6 U.S. States

Yoga May Reduce Side Effects Of Prostate Cancer Treatment

Yoga May Reduce Side Effects Of Prostate Cancer Treatment
Practicing yoga can improve quality of life of men with prostate cancer who are undergoing radiation therapy, says a new study led by an Indian-origin researcher.

Yoga May Reduce Side Effects Of Prostate Cancer Treatment

Canada Will Increase Iraqi Trainers, Fight Climate Change With Obama: Justin Trudeau

MANILA, Philippines — Canada will increase the number of ground troops it has in Iraq to train local forces as a way of making a bigger military contribution to the coalition fighting Islamic militants, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says.

Canada Will Increase Iraqi Trainers, Fight Climate Change With Obama: Justin Trudeau

UVic Develops Less-bloody Blood Test That Is Already In Use At Mayo Clinic

UVic Develops Less-bloody Blood Test That Is Already In Use At Mayo Clinic
VICTORIA — Forget the long, sharp needles and vials of blood taken to check for cancers, diabetes and heart problems — researchers at the University of Victoria have developed a new test requiring only a single drop.

UVic Develops Less-bloody Blood Test That Is Already In Use At Mayo Clinic

Canada Seeing Outbreaks Of Pertussis. Is Waning Immunity From Shots One Reason?

Canada Seeing Outbreaks Of Pertussis. Is Waning Immunity From Shots One Reason?
The bacterial infection, which often but not always causes a "whoop" sound when breathing or coughing, is particularly dangerous for very young babies, say doctors. The disease can lead to hospitalization and, in rare cases, death.

Canada Seeing Outbreaks Of Pertussis. Is Waning Immunity From Shots One Reason?

Machine Used In Cancer, Heart Disease Scans In Alberta Back Up And Running

Machine Used In Cancer, Heart Disease Scans In Alberta Back Up And Running
EDMONTON — A key piece of machinery in Alberta used in diagnostic tests such as cancer and heart disease is back up and running after a four-week shutdown.

Machine Used In Cancer, Heart Disease Scans In Alberta Back Up And Running