Stephen Harper began rolling out his democratic reform program with a bill to set fixed federal election dates and a constitutional amendment to limit new senators to eight-year terms.
Under the plan current senators will still get to serve until age 75.
Conservative insiders say Harper wants to go much further than he did yesterday, moving to an elected Senate, but he must tread carefully because he only has a minority government and the delicacy of constitutional change.
Under the fixed-election bill tabled in the House of Commons, general elections would be held every four years on the third Monday in October.
Currently, it's up to the prime minister to decide when to call an election any time up to five years.
Under the proposed system, the next federal election would be held Oct. 19, 2009. But that's only if the minority Conservative government survives that long.
Canadians could be headed to the polls long before that if the government falls in a non-confidence vote. Source. This way to my NEW BLOG.
