As the federal political parties prepare for a possible fall election, speculation is growing over policy.

The Conservative Party has been committed to Senate reform since its formation in 2003. However, the prime minister recently appointed nine senators to the upper house, causing some to speculate whether or not Senate reform will make it into the Conservative platform.

“I don’t think they have abandoned Senate reform,” said Joan Grace, politics professor at the University of Winnipeg. “It is a core Conservative agenda item … the prime minister will continue to address the unaccountability in the Senate.”

The Conservative Party was recently hit with charges of hypocrisy over the appointments. The party has countered criticism by claiming that the upper house requires a Conservative majority in order for reform to be passed.

“Politically or symbolically, appointing senators does smack of opportunistic politics … but it remains the constitutional and legal right of the prime minister,” said Grace.

Although representatives from the Conservative Party will not comment on possible platform items, certain officials have made party commitments clear.

“I will just say that the prime minister and all the recently-appointed senators are committed to reform, which requires a Conservative majority in the Senate,” said Don Plett, Manitoba president and national councilor for the Conservative Party.

Plett is one of the nine recently appointed senators. Choosing his successor as president will require between 45 days and two months, he said.

The Liberal Party holds a majority of the seats in the 105-seat Senate. The Liberals are represented by 53 senators, compared to 46 Conservatives. Four opposition Senators will retire by January, at which point the Conservatives hope to reach the threshold of 50 senators to ease the passage of legislation.

“I was very disappointed as a Canadian in the blocking of Senate reform legislation,” said Shelly Glover, Conservative member of parliament for the riding of St. Boniface. “Partisanship is delaying Senate reform.”

Glover, who unseated Liberal Raymond Simard last year, is now being inundated with election strategy after serving just over 10 months as a parliamentarian.

The Conservatives will likely focus on crime legislation and their remaining economic stimulus measures heading into the probable campaign, Glover said.

“The Liberals want to fight [economic] recovery by calling this wasteful election and we want to fight the recession.”

Opposition charges of hypocrisy and mismanagement have the Liberal Party confident they can pick up seats in Manitoba, despite controlling only one riding.

“I think the Liberals in the upcoming election will be more than competitive in a number of ridings,” said Colin MacArthur, provincial co-chair for Liberal election readiness. “It is up to the Canadian public whether they will elect a leader who says one thing to get elected and then does precisely the opposite when in power.”

Published in Volume 64, Number 3 of The Uniter (September 17, 2009)