Senator Gold: No, I’d be happy if there were an opposition that was as independent as you claim to be. I wish there were an opposition that did not put partisanship upon the protection of Canadian national security. I wish we had an opposition or a Leader of the Opposition in the other place who had the courage to read the information as opposed to protecting himself —

Hon. Marty Klyne: My question is for Senator Gold. In our debate on April 25, you expressed concern that eight years into the independent Senate reform, our Rules have received minimal updates. For example, the Senate is unable to vote on non‑government bills if even a small group of senators seek to prevent a vote. In 2019, one such filibuster killed 15 House of Commons’ private members’ bills. In 2020, Senators Sinclair and Dalphond proposed a reform to bring fairness and transparency to our process for independent initiatives. Their model is based on the rules of the House of Commons and the 2014 proposal of the Conservative Senate caucus and Senator Joyal.

With many non-government bills languishing on the Order Paper, is it time to change the Rules?