Thank you, Mr. McGuinty

Finally someone in power has added something sensible to the current Senate discussion. Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty says just get rid of the damn thing. With Ontario holding 40 per cent of the country's population but only 22 per cent of the Senate's seats, the fundamentally undemocratic nature of the beast does not escape Mr. McGuinty's attention. If the Senate were elected, Ontarians would become 1/2 citizens.

The upper house has offended Canadian democracy for 140 years. Fortunately, it has had the decency -- perhaps arising from guilt over its illegitimacy -- to avoid interfering with the democratic process as much as possible. In other words, we have for the most part gotten along without it. Why on earth would we want to convey legitimacy now by electing senators?

The only justification it ever deserved was regional representation, but that can be better obtained, while increasing democracy in the bargain, by proportional representation, a long overdue reform. In any case, democracy is for citizens, not regions.

The Premier is right -- put the thing out of its misery.