In this Issue

	Welcome !
	Overview
	Senator's Forum
	Retrospective
	Feature
	Committee Activity Committee Reports Aboriginal Peoples Banking, trade and Commerce Foreign Affairs Subcommittee to update "Of Life and Death" Special Studies Social Affairs, Science and Technology The Special Committee on Illegal Drugs
	Legislative Activity
	Senate Events The Famous Five Restoring the Bell The Senate Remembers Meeting Special Needs
	Connections
	Printable formats (PDF)

Welcome !

Welcome to the inaugural edition of The Senate Report, a quarterly newsletter that seeks to inform Canadians of the activities of Senators in the Red Chamber, in Committees and in the community at large.

One hundred and five Senators play a pivotal role in representing regional and minority interests while contributing to the development of public policy. Their work touches on every aspect of the government’s domestic and international agenda, ranging from the use of bovine growth hormone in livestock to Canada’s role in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. The Senate Report will cover news and views on these issues and the people who deal with them, as well as on the institution’s successes and its challenges. In so doing, we hope to enhance your knowledge of the legislative process and to promote understanding of, and dialogue on, the Senate’s legislative responsibilities. We look forward to hearing from you!

William Rompkey, Chair of the Editorial Board

Overview

The Senate of Canada: a Profile

The Founders of Confederation envisaged the Senate as a place where legislation would be examined and revised, where national issues would be investigated in depth, and where regional, provincial and minority interests would be advocated. It was to be a place where all regions would be equally represented, regardless of population fluctuations, in order to balance representation in the House of Commons. This is the foundation on which today’s Senate continues to serve Canadians.

Over the years, the Senate has played an important role in promoting equality in Parliament. For example, one-third of the 105-member Chamber is made up of women, a higher percentage than in any other legislature in Canada.

Individual Senators and Senate committees are able to explore public policy issues in more depth and with greater freedom from partisan political dynamics. Topics that have come under Senate scrutiny over the past year include the Clarity Bill, the health system, illegal drugs, palliative care, aboriginal self-governance, international trade and human rights protection – to name but a few.