James McHugh
University of Akron, OH
Fulbright Visiting Research Chair in North American Integration, Carleton University

Conventional discussions of Senate reform in Canada have focused upon ideas such as subjecting it to elections, using it as a platform for intrastate federalism, and making it more powerful in terms of the legislative process. As a result, many reform proposals focus upon the Australian Senate, the German Bundesrat, the Italian Senate, and even the United States Senate as models for reform. However, a more appropriate model for reform may be the British House of Lords, especially given the Westminster-style parliamentary context of the Canadian political system.