Close X
Thursday, November 14, 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

More Men With Breast Cancer Removing Unaffected Breast

More Men With Breast Cancer Removing Unaffected Breast
The number of men with breast cancer who underwent surgery to remove the unaffected breast nearly doubled between 2004-2011, says a new study.

More Men With Breast Cancer Removing Unaffected Breast

Losing Weight As Easy As Drinking A Glass Of Water!

Losing Weight As Easy As Drinking A Glass Of Water!
Just drinking a pint of water, three times a day, before your main meals may help reduce your weight,

Losing Weight As Easy As Drinking A Glass Of Water!

Your Facial Scrub May Contain Millions Of Plastic Particles

Almost 100,000 tiny 'microbeads' - each a fraction of a millimetre in diameter - could be released in every single application of certain products, such as facial scrubs, the findings showed

Your Facial Scrub May Contain Millions Of Plastic Particles

Eating 'On The Go' Could Make You Fat

Eating 'On The Go' Could Make You Fat
Dieters who eat while performing other activities such as walking or watching television may increase their food intake later in the day which could lead to weight gain and obesity, says a new study.

Eating 'On The Go' Could Make You Fat

CMA Report On MDs' Concerns About Assisted Death To Inform Debate At Annual Meeting

CMA Report On MDs' Concerns About Assisted Death To Inform Debate At Annual Meeting
TORONTO — The Canadian Medical Association has released results of a major consultation with its members about the best framework for providing physician-assisted death, an issue that continues to divide the country's doctors.

CMA Report On MDs' Concerns About Assisted Death To Inform Debate At Annual Meeting

Health Costs For Diabetes Expected To Rise As Population Ages: Researcher

A new study has determined that the average cost of health care for Canadians with diabetes is $16,000 over eight years, compared to $6,000 for those without the disease.

Health Costs For Diabetes Expected To Rise As Population Ages: Researcher