OTTAWA -- A vast majority of Canadians say the Senate should be abolished or reformed, highlighting the waning relevance of the Red Chamber, a pollster suggests.
A recent Ipsos Reid poll found 36% of Canadians believe the Senate should be done away with, a 10-percentage point increase from 2007. On the whole, 78% would like to see it either reformed or abolished, but Darrell Bricker, CEO of Ipsos Reid Public Affairs, says it is the idea of abolishing it that is gaining the most traction.
"I was surprised by the fact that reform is on the decline but that abolition is on the rise," Bricker said. "And if you think about it, it makes sense."
Bricker said the idea of reforming the Senate was a '90s phenomenon led by Western Canada, which felt un- or under-represented in the House of Commons and wanted more opportunities to feel their regions had representation.
