The House of Commons said MPs cannot call senators lazy, arrogant or dismal, according to Blacklock’s Reporter. “I will never say much positive about the Senate,” said NDP MP Charlie Angus (Timmins-James Bay, ON) in a speech in the House of Commons. Since senators cannot be fired, Angus called the Senate a “fundamental failing in democracy.” “We have a democratic right and a duty to do the right thing here,” said Angus. “The Senate has no democratic accountability to anyone.”As dismal as MPs can be, he acknowledged they have to go back to their constituents and talk to them. He accused the Senate of being “an absolutely unaccountable, dismal group as far as I am concerned.”If senators are not elected and cannot be fired, he said they develop a sense of infalliability. In this case, he admitted it makes them arrogant, because they can do whatever they want for the better or worse for Canadians. Assistant Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons Carol Hughes cautioned him. “In this House, we need to be careful with some of the words we use,” said Hughes. “We should ensure we are not causing some disorder.”However, Angus objected to Hughes cautioning him. “You are rewriting rules in Parliament,” he said. "Is the issue that I used the word ‘unelected?'" Under the House Of Commons Procedure and Practice, she noted disrespectful reflections on Parliament as a whole or on the House of Commons or Senate individually are forbidden. Conservative MP Ed Fast (Abbotsford, BC) protested the move. “We are supposed to be free to express our thoughts,” said Fast.This incident comes after Conservative MP Damien Kurek (Battle River-Crowfoot, AB) was removed from the House of Commons in December for using unparliamentary language by calling Prime Minister Justin Trudeau a liar.READ MORE: Conservative MP kicked out of Parliament, called Trudeau a ‘liar’“He lied,” said Kurek. “The prime minister promised the Senate would be independent, but the actions this past week prove that is a complete farce.”
The House of Commons said MPs cannot call senators lazy, arrogant or dismal, according to Blacklock’s Reporter. “I will never say much positive about the Senate,” said NDP MP Charlie Angus (Timmins-James Bay, ON) in a speech in the House of Commons. Since senators cannot be fired, Angus called the Senate a “fundamental failing in democracy.” “We have a democratic right and a duty to do the right thing here,” said Angus. “The Senate has no democratic accountability to anyone.”As dismal as MPs can be, he acknowledged they have to go back to their constituents and talk to them. He accused the Senate of being “an absolutely unaccountable, dismal group as far as I am concerned.”If senators are not elected and cannot be fired, he said they develop a sense of infalliability. In this case, he admitted it makes them arrogant, because they can do whatever they want for the better or worse for Canadians. Assistant Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons Carol Hughes cautioned him. “In this House, we need to be careful with some of the words we use,” said Hughes. “We should ensure we are not causing some disorder.”However, Angus objected to Hughes cautioning him. “You are rewriting rules in Parliament,” he said. "Is the issue that I used the word ‘unelected?'" Under the House Of Commons Procedure and Practice, she noted disrespectful reflections on Parliament as a whole or on the House of Commons or Senate individually are forbidden. Conservative MP Ed Fast (Abbotsford, BC) protested the move. “We are supposed to be free to express our thoughts,” said Fast.This incident comes after Conservative MP Damien Kurek (Battle River-Crowfoot, AB) was removed from the House of Commons in December for using unparliamentary language by calling Prime Minister Justin Trudeau a liar.READ MORE: Conservative MP kicked out of Parliament, called Trudeau a ‘liar’“He lied,” said Kurek. “The prime minister promised the Senate would be independent, but the actions this past week prove that is a complete farce.”
