According to documents recently released by the Department of Public Works and Government Services, seven unelected senators are scheduled to move into new offices in the East Block on Parliament Hill, costing half a million dollars per office. The first of the new offices is scheduled to be completed this year, 2003, and will be state of the art.

A whole edifice, tentatively named the Bank Street Building, will be the first new building on Parliament Hill in 70 years. Two underground tunnels will connect it to other parliamentary buildings, and it will house an underground parking garage for 300 cars.

Plans call for the renovation of almost all buildings on Parliament Hill at a cost of more than $1.5 billion dollars. They include building temporary House of Commons and Senate chambers to allow further renovation of the Centre Block. In total 40 Senators will be housed in new East Block offices.

Canadians don't elect Senators. They just pay for them, their staffs, their travel, their postal and other communication services, and now will install them in half a million dollar offices.

Happy New Year, Canada!

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