The Senate will review the rules on public opinion polls after the Conservatives accused Trudeau-appointed senators of using a $15,000 poll to support the Liberals’ re-election effort.
The Senate committee on internal economy, budgets and administration voted 10-5 Thursday in favour of a motion that approved the poll expense, but also noted that there was no consensus on whether it complied with the rules. The motion also called on the Senate administration to brief senators on potential options for improving the polling rules.
Some senators suggested Thursday that senators should be banned from approving polls in an election year.
The poll by independent Senator Donna Dasko was conducted by Nanos Research. It asked Canadians for their views on the Senate and on whether a future government should maintain the current government’s practice of appointing senators who sit as independents.
Independent senators spread the findings online, and called on party leaders to respond to it by stating what their positions will be on Senate reform in this year’s federal election.
Conservative Senator Linda Frum said the current rules, in her view, clearly prevent election-related polling. She noted that during the Senate expenses scandal, some senators who were forced to pay back funds had also claimed that the Senate’s spending rules were not clear.
“I think the rules are very clear,” she said. “Those of us who were here through the Senate scandal, the last one, there were those of us who did not have to reimburse the Senate whatsoever because we found the rules to be completely clear. I find this rule to be completely clear. I think it was violated.”
Committee chair and independent Senator Sarabjit Marwah said senators on all sides agree that Ms. Dasko’s poll has raised questions about the current rules and whether they can be improved.
“I think there is clearly room for improvement on what is permitted and what is not permitted,” he said.
Senate administration officials told the committee Thursday that polls are approved as long as they fit within a definition of Parliamentary business. They also said officials do not read the wording of the poll questions before approving a poll.
Senators were told the ultimate determination of whether an expense is in order is up to the Senate’s internal economy committee. The Independent Senators Group – which is primarily made up of senators appointed by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau – has a majority on the committee.
In December, senators rejected an effort to add independent oversight over the approval of Senate expenses.
A damning 2015 report by the auditor-general found numerous cases of questionable spending and called for independent oversight.
“They design their own rules, choose whether to enforce those rules, and determine what, if any, information will be publicly disclosed,” the report stated.
Conservative Senator Scott Tannas said he did not feel comfortable rejecting an expense that Ms. Dasko had already incurred. However, he expressed concern about the level of scrutiny conducted by Senate administration.
“How can you determine whether a poll conforms with the rules without actually looking at the questions?" he asked. "And I would further submit, from my point of view, that you’ll never know if a poll is political until the results come out, and until they’re used and torqued by whoever’s going to use them. To me, we shouldn’t be doing polls within a year of an election. That would answer part of the problem.”
Bill Curry