No blank check

The Globe and Mail reports that the Liberal Senate majority is prepared to grant Harper his party's campaign promises. But there's a downside for Harper, as those promises include his promise that the Senate will keep a close watch on the Cons:

Liberal senators say they won't deliberately hold up the main policies of the incoming Conservative government, but any measures that were not part of the Tory platform can expect a rough ride in the Senate.

Prime-minister-designate Stephen Harper raised eyebrows during the election when he said the Senate would be a check on his power. Senators are now debating just how big a check they intend to be...

"If a government [has] run on an issue, as they did in 1988 on free trade . . . we passed it without further ado because they had a mandate," (outgoing Liberal Senate leader Jack Austin) said. "We look to see, 'is there a mandate? Does the government in our view have an endorsement by the Canadian electorate of the policy?' Basically, our role is the same, whichever party is in power."

It'll be interesting to see the interaction between the Commons and the Senate this time out. The upside from a "keeping Harper in check" standpoint is that the Libs in the House could well choose to allow their partisans in the Senate to take the job of defeating any overly harmful money bills where the Commons opposition doesn't yet want to precipitate an election. And that could be particularly useful in reining in Harper's first budget.

But then, any extended use of Senate control could also give Harper a chance to run a populist campaign against entrenched Liberal power in the upper chamber...which in turn could help set the groundwork for a Con majority in protest. And that may not only make it difficult for the Libs to defeat some bills in either chamber, but it may also provide some incentive for Harper to test the limits of the Senate's planned oversight.

In other words, the impact of Senate oversight is bound to work both ways. And whether it's the Libs or the Cons that best coordinates its strategy between the two chambers, the party which makes the best use of the upper chamber will be well-positioned next time Canada goes to the polls.