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Given what’s at stake, it should come as no surprise that a number of senators say they intend to take a very close interest in the bill, and feel no obligation to please the party that wrote it. Conservative senators, who have not been freed of their partisanship and belong to a party with no permanent leader, can be expected to do their best to embarrass the Liberals. Some of those appointed since Trudeau became prime minister have already signaled they are unhappy with elements of the bill, and will seek changes. As with Canadians at large, there is a sharp divide between those who feel the bill goes too far in enabling people to gain help in ending their lives, and those who feel it does not go far enough. Feelings are strong, and it is impossible at this juncture to predict what the bill will look like when it is sent back to the Commons for another go-round by actual elected Members of Parliament. Given that only 21 of the 86 current senators identify as Liberals, a prolonged stand-off between the elected House and the unelected Senate is not impossible. And, looming behind that prospect, are the nine Supreme Court justices who will be watching to ensure the result meets the criteria the court set down in the first place.

Though the new law will eventually require confirmation by elected legislators, it can hardly be said that its path reflects democracy in its purest sense. The MPs will only get their chance once the contents have satisfied the demands of unelected judges, as amended by unelected senators. It’s striking that this same government is immersed in an effort to alter Canada’s electoral system into what it considers a more democratic form, on the theory that the government should reflect the views of a broader range of voters.

Should it succeed, one hopes future legislators are made aware of the constraints in place, and disabused of any notion that it’s their job to run the country. If Bill C-14 becomes law, it won’t be traceable to the initiative of any elected Canadian government.

National Post