Senate appointments 'the only option': Harper

In an interview with Steve Murphy on ATV, Prime Minister Stephen Harper defended his intention to appoint 18 senators to the red chamber.

"It's the only option. There is no prospect for electing these senators in the near term. There's none," Harper said. "So the option is do we appoint them -- the government that people elected -- or do we allow an un-elected coalition to appoint them?"

Harper also said that his decision to appoint senators was never one that we would have dreamed to make. He explains that while he has waited and waited to see Senate reform pass in Parliament, there is now a certain expectation from his party to work within his means.

"In a way, it's a sad day for me," said Harper. "I've waited for three years. We've invited provinces to hold elections. We've put an electoral bill before the House of Commons. But for the most part, neither in Parliament nor in the provinces has there been any willingness to move forward on reform."

When asked if Canadians would see this move as hypocritical or as another example of broken promises, Harper answered confidently:

"Quite frankly, I think the public would prefer to see senators supporting the government they elected."

The PM and his staff have apparently been flooded with applications to become senator since the news broke of his intention. One story mentions that one Conservative staffer says he even received an email from a high-school teacher he never got along with and hadn't heard from in years.

Harper jokingly mentions during his ATV interview that never before now had he received requests of appointment to the Senate.

"Now I'm getting deluged. [...] It's not the favourite thing I've ever done – but at this point it's the right thing."

Opposition to the move has been vocal, calling out the PM for his "hypocritical" decision, which goes against his electoral promises as well as those in the Speech from the Throne.

CTV writes:

Liberal MP Wayne Easter, meanwhile, said that Harper has no right to make patronage appointments when the House of Commons remains locked in a constitutional grey area.

Easter noted that the majority of MPs don't have confidence in the prime minister, and that it is unacceptable that Harper "would turn around and stack the senate with his friends" after proroguing Parliament.

But constitutional experts say that there is nothing illegitimate or wrong in Harper's move:

"Absolutely, unreservedly so, there are no limitations on his appointment powers," said Peter Woolstencroft, a political science professor at the University of Waterloo, in an interview with CTV Newsnet."The opposition will fume ... but he's not doing anything out of line."

NDP Leader Jack Layton also criticized the decision to appoint Conservative senators in a letter, asking the PM to wait until after the House resumes before making the appointment.

"You have often stated ... you would not appoint any new senators until that body becomes truly representative."

"Why then, Prime Minister, would you choose to make 18 costly and undemocratic patronage appointments in this time of unprecedented economic crisis?"

In their current form, Senate appointments pay $130,000 a year. Members can keep other jobs while pulling in their Senate salary until mandatory retirement at age 75.

Harper also discussed Afghanistan, the economy and the current minority government situation. Watch the full clip.