"By their sittings ye shall know them."

Between January 14 1960 and November 10 2000 the Senate sat 3,146 days

Over a period of 40 years the Senate sat on average 78.85 days a year.

These figures include short sittings for ceremonial occasions, Speeches from the Throne at the opening of Parliaments, the giving of Royal Assent to the passage of legislation, Addresses by Heads of State, and the early suspension of sittings due to unanticipated events, deaths, state funerals, and lack of sufficient Senators in attendance to form a quorum.

Consider the Senate and its 78.85 average sitting days a year. Let's be generous and round it up to 79 days a year.

"Oh, but we sit on committees. You are leaving out the committees. Much of our time is spent in committees."

Sure it is. And was. And will be. That is until we elect Senators, chosen by us, and not by one individual. Elected Senators will be answerable to the electorate, and those who don't perform will be turfed out by the electors.

Elected Senators will have to justify themselves to the electors of Canada.

Appointed Senators, like Gumby cats, just sit, and sit, and sit, and sit, an average of 79 days a year over the past forty years. And, of course, we can't omit all that time they spend sitting in committees. And all the time they spend sitting on planes flying hither and thither.

Who will finally bell the cat? Is there one political leader who will utter that immemorial phrase "Enough is enough"?

At least Jennyanydots spends her nights training the mice. She doesn't just sit, and sit, and sit, and sit for a whole 79 days a year--until death or age 75.