VICTORIA - B.C. Premier Christy Clark says she supports a private member's bill by one of her backbenchers to have the province's Senators elected.
Clark said Thursday she'd like to get rid of Senate entirely, but since that's difficult constitutionally, she wants British Columbians to have a greater say in who goes to the upper chamber.
"If we could, under the Constitution, we should abolish the Senate," she said. "I don't think it serves a useful purpose in Confederation."
But failing that, British Columbia should do what it can to bring people to the Senate who speak for the province, Clark said.
"What we should do is make sure that we're electing Senators who really reflect the aspirations and the hopes and dreams of British Columbians".
Backbench B.C. Liberal John Les introduced the Senate Nominee Election Act which would provide a legal framework for the election of senatorial nominees from B.C.
Clark said provincial Liberal Party members called for the creation of a legal framework to elect senators at the party's convention last month.
Les said the bill will ensure the Senate better reflects the values of the people of B.C.
Opposition New Democrat Leader Adrian Dix also said he supports abolishing the Senate, but because that is unlikely, he wants to increase the numbers of Members of Parliament from British Columbia in the House of Commons.
Canada's Minister of State for Democratic Reform, Tim Uppal, said Stephen Harper's government welcomes the introduction of the B.C. bill.
"We call on all provinces to move forward with democratic processes to select Senate nominees so that Canadians will have a greater say in who represents them in the Senate of Canada," Uppal said in a news release.
Clark also supports more seats in the House of Commons, but she and Dix managed to clash over the issue anyway.
Clark said she's sent a letter to Prime Minister Harper approving a proposal to expand B.C.'s representation in the Commons, but then she said federal NDP leader Jack Layton appears reluctant to go along and she encouraged B.C. New Democrats to lobby their federal colleagues.
Dix accused Clark of reducing the matter to a "vicious, nasty, little partisan issue" and said British Columbians expect more of their Premier.
