PM Harper to get input from Supreme Court on the Senate question

Good to know he's going to keep his word....better late than never.

From NationalPost:
Harper government asks Supreme Court to rule on legality of Senate reform.  OTTAWA — The fate of Canada’s Senate is to be considered by the country’s top court, which has been asked to rule on how reforms to the upper chamber can be made – and on whether it can be abolished.

The Conservative government Friday said it will send six “reference questions” to the Supreme Court of Canada, marking the first time in more than 30 years that the top court would weigh in on Senate reform.

The questions submitted Friday could clear up whether reforming the Senate requires opening up the Constitution – a thorny process that involves the provinces as well as the federal government.

The six questions sent to the court include asking the justices to rule on: the constitutionality of limiting Senate terms to eight, nine or 10 years, among other options; how to go about consulting the provinces on Senate reform and how to go about electing senators who are currently appointed by the prime minister; whether the federal government can repeal the minimum wealth requirements and property qualifications for senators; and how the country could go about abolishing the Senate.

Depending on how the court rules, the government intends to push the Senate Reform Act through the legislative process.

The opposition New Democrats have advocated for abolishing the Senate — a path Prime Minister Stephen Harper has hinted at in the past.

“This party’s preference is to see a reformed and elected Senate, but the Senate must change. If the Senate cannot be elected, then it should be abolished. Those are the choices,” Harper told the House of Commons in 2007..........