December 8, 2021
New African Canadian Senate group kicks into action
In an effort to better enable the Senate of Canada to represent accurately the voices of marginalized communities, seven African Canadian Senators formally launched the African Canadian Senate Group on Dec. 2. This multi-group coalition was formed with the express purpose of fighting racism and discrimination while acting as a speakerphone to the voices of African Canadians in the Senate and across democratic systems.
“For too long, our voices, contributions, and priorities have been ignored by our democratic institutions. As Senators of African descent, we are committed to reversing this trend by working together. I am fortunate to be able to partner with such fantastic colleagues. We look forward to engaging with Canadians from coast to coast to coast and fighting for their priorities in Ottawa,” said Independent Senator Rosemary Moodie, the group’s chair. The group, in addition to Moodie, includes Progressive Senator Wanda Thomas Bernard, and Independent senators Bernadette Clement, Amina Gerba, Mobina Jaffer, Marie-Françoise Mégie, and Mohamed Ravalia. The group’s priorities for the current Parliament include a push for inclusivity in committee processes and collaboration with the community to push the needle forward on justice, economic equity, and health.
“As the first woman Senator of African descent, the values of the African Canadian Senate Group are ones which I have always upheld and still today, hold close to my heart,” Jaffer said in a press release. “It is so important for us Senators who identity as African Canadian and who come from African descent to have this space in an institution that historically has not always accounted for the unique needs and lived experiences of Black people across Canada.”
With two years left in the UN’s International Decade for People of African Descent (UNPAD), Bernard said she’s looking to see some positive changes. The new group of Senators “has some promising ideas for how to work collaboratively to make meaningful policy changes which I see supporting the three pillars set out by the UNDPAD: acknowledgement, justice, and development,” the Nova Scotia Senator said.
Source: The Hill Times
This African Canadian Senators Group (ACSG) appears on the face of it to be a coalition of racially homogeneous Senators in Ottawa with a singular goal of advancing issues of significance to people of African descent in Canada.
However, I do not understand this point of view. Persons elevated by appointment to the Canadian Senate are supposed to be there to ensure that bills passed by a partisan Parliament are fair, useful and of benefit to Canadians of all stripes and locations. They are chosen for their disinterested abilities to examine legislation without fear or favour (that’s why they are appointed, not elected). They are not there to advance a particular cause.
If the Senate has now become a shadow parliament, creating policy and programs, then it is time to completely overhaul the institution. Either abolish it completely or clean house with a big broom.