Hon. Paula Simons: Senator Patterson, I agree with you; the roots of this go back to 1867 which is — not coincidentally — the year that Britain passed the reform bill which gave universal manhood suffrage and the establishment of the Senate to be a cognate parallel of the House of Lords, a place where the closest thing they could find to landed gentry in Canada would sit.

I am deeply sympathetic to this bill and to the legacy of my dear friend Tommy Banks. I’m just curious how we could then ensure that senators live in the provinces which they are meant to represent. I remember my own screening process in which I had to provide, I think, four kinds of proof that I owned my house and lived in it.

How would we set up a system to ensure that senators really live in the provinces they are meant to represent without a property requirement?

Senator Patterson: I’m glad you asked that question, Senator Simons, because I relish the opportunity to make it clear that this bill will not diminish the requirement which is laid out in qualifications of senators that one reside in the jurisdiction that one represents.

This is a critical element of the qualifications for a senator based on our mandate to speak for regions. The requirement to reside is important and would not be changed by this amendment. Should it matter whether you live in a trailer, whether you live on a First Nation reserve or whether you live in a tent? Should that affect your ability to represent your region? No. It’s not from property ownership that you derive your legitimacy to speak for your region. It’s from living there, and it shouldn’t matter where you live, and that won’t change by this bill. Thank you.