Is it time to abolish the Senate?

Even as unloved institutions go, it's been a bad couple of weeks for the Senate. 

There have been daily headlines generated by the Mike Duffy trial, of course. And in the middle of all that, along came the auditor general's report... A report that paints an unflattering picture of entitlement and lack of accountability in the upper chamber.

For some Canadians, this has renewed calls for reform... some fixes to make the senate work.
While for others, including Saskatchewan premier Brad Wall and federal NDP leader Tom Mulcair, it's more evidence that the Senate has outlived its usefulness. 

They both called for its abolition this week.

But Errol Mendes says the Senate still has an important role to play in democracy. The Ottawa University law professor argues that reform, rather than abolition, is the solution. He says that it's not the institution that is flawed, but the people in it.

"The problem is that through the patronage process that has happened, with prime ministers appointing political hacks, bagmen, etc., eventually the people within the institution have brought it into disrepute."

But McGill University political scientist Antonia Maioni says there's a strong case for abolition of the upper house. She believes that the nature of the Senate, with its appointment system, is incompatible with modern Canadian democracy. 

She says the system is overdue for a re-vamp.

"I think that now we're moving towards Canada's hundred and fiftieth birthday, we could give ourselves a little present, which would be to re-think our political institutions and to think about what the Senate does or contributes to our democratic life."