A Post in the Senate

Many women are members of the Senate of Canada today. In the future, Canadians will have to run for Senate as they do for any political position. Rats.

I have always thought that being a Senator in Canada’s Upper House would be a fine job. Appointment without the hassles of running for election, sitting on committees that make true impacts on the laws and lives of Canadians, and being able to put forth bills that could really make a difference to people, sounds like a good job to me. Cairine Wilson, Canada’s first woman Senator did just that. She made a difference, all the while keeping her status as a mother and wife, as a caring, dedicated, thinking woman. It was a lonely entry, though. It wasn’t until 1953 that two more women were appointed: Muriel McQueen Ferguson and Nancy Hodges.

There are number of women sitting in the Senate today, thanks to the heroic efforts of Emily Murphy and the Famous Five. Without their push to make women “persons”, Canadian women would not have been permitted to participate in the regal Senate. How could women not be considered “persons,” after all? Of 105 members in the Senate, 32 are women with varying backgrounds – teachers, writers, fashion designer, politicians, business leaders, lawyers and others – all interested in improving the lives of Canadians.

I still think being a Senator would be a superior post. But the procedures for becoming a Senator are changing. More Canadians think Senators should be elected and for shorter terms, not for life, as now. I have no political connections, no strong background of effecting change for Canadians, and no way to stick my foot in through the elegant, heavy door of the exquisite Upper House. C’est la vie! Perhaps just as well. I’m not good at public speaking anyway.