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The Senate was created under the Constitution Act, 1867, primarily to protect regional interests but also to provide what George-Etienne Cartier called a "power of resistance to oppose the democratic element." |
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DutiesThe party with the greatest number of elected representatives outside the governing party becomes Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition. This party takes the lead in holding the Government accountable for its policies and actions. The leader of this party becomes the Leader of the Official Opposition but is most often a Member of the House of Commons. He or she will therefore appoint a Leader of the Official Opposition in the Senate, sitting directly across from the Leader of the Government in the Senate. The duty of the Official Opposition and other opposition parties is to "oppose," criticizing government policies and suggesting improvements, and presenting an alternative to the current Government's policy agenda.Opposition members have various opportunities to influence the formulation of laws and policies including the daily Question Period in the Senate. The opposition is allocated 20 "Opposition Days" or "Supply Days" each calendar year, during which it can propose a motion for debate in the Senate and criticize the Government on issues of broad national policy. Members of opposition parties also serve on parliamentary committees in both the Senate and the House of Commons. The Honourable Jim CowanMr. Cowan was educated at Dalhousie University where he obtained his Arts and Law degrees. He then attended the London School of Economics where he was granted a Master of Laws degree in 1966.
Since 1972 he has been actively engaged in the life of Dalhousie University and has been a member and chaired a wide array of committees and boards at that institution. From 2000 to 2008 he was Chair of the University’s Board of Governors. Mr. Cowan is Secretary and a former Director of the Halifax International Airport Authority, former Vice-Chair and Chair of the Planning Committee of the Waterfront Development Corporation Ltd., former director of the Federal Business Development Bank and a Former Director and Trustee of the Institute for Research on Public Policy. He was Director, Chair and Vice-President of both Camp Hill and Abbie J. Lane Hospitals and Vice-Chair of the Metropolitan Mental Health Planning Board. He was also Director of the Nova Scotia Division of the Canadian Cancer Society and a founding director of Landmark East School, a school for children with learning disabilities in Wolfville, Nova Scotia. He and his wife Shelagh have three sons, Robert, David and Peter, a daughter, Suzanne and nine grandchildren. |
