Politics

Singh says abolishing the Senate would see Canadians better represented

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NDP leader Jagmeet Singh, right, and his wife Gurkiran Kaur, left, cast their ballots at an advance polling station in his Burnaby South riding during a campaign stop in Burnaby, B.C., on Sunday, October 13, 2019. (Nathan Denette/THE CANADIAN PRESS)

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says following through on his party's long-standing pledge to abolish the Senate would give Canadians better representation.

Singh says senators represent the interests of the political parties that appointed them, as opposed to Canadians, including those from smaller provinces.

As prime minister, Justin Trudeau introduced reforms to make the Senate more independent, including kicking senators out of the Liberal caucus, but critics say it is still a partisan body.

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The New Democrats propose working with the provinces to get rid of an institution the party labels as undemocratic and unaccountable.

They promise that as it works to abolish the upper chamber, an NDP government would insist the Senate prevent senators from holding up legislation adopted by the House of Commons.

Singh is in Toronto today, targeting two ridings the NDP lost in 2015 to the Liberals — including former leader Jack Layton's old riding.