As everyone in this room knows, it has become a right of passage for aspiring leaders and prime ministers to promise Senate reform - on their way to the top.
The promises are usually made in Western Canada.
And these statements of intent are usually warmly received by party activists, editorial writers and ordinary people.
But once they are elected, Senate reform quickly falls to the bottom of the Government's agenda.
Stephen Harper, September 2006, from his own website.
