The Canadian Senate has always been a plum used by federal governments to dangle as a reward for loyal supporters. While Conservative governments have often appointed elected senators when they could, most of their appointments are based on partisan favour. Liberals and Conservatives are both guilty of having made some terrible appointments. Mike Duffy comes to mind when it comes to journalists appointed into the Senate as a reward for years of good coverage.The Reform Party of the 1990s built much of its base on pushing for what was called an EEE Senate which stood for equal, elected and effective. It’s presumed the effective part would come on its own if the equal and elected parts of the Senate could be achieved. Outside of Western Canada, the notion of a EEE Senate never caught on and the concept faded away when the Reform Party went national rather than regional.Canadians have a low expectation of Canadian Senate appointments and their expectations are typically met.Trudeau has pretended his Senate appointments aren’t partisan and labels them as “independent.” It’s a façade of course as Trudeau-appointed senators walk the Liberal party line on every policy vote. They just hide from the name of their party.Usually, Senate appointments bring little more than annoyance from me. I don’t care for most of the people who were appointed and don’t see them as being well-qualified for the job. That said, I don’t expect much of Senators and unless Canada reforms the constitution, nothing will change.In the case of Trudeau’s appointment of Charles Adler to the Senate though, things are different. Like many Canadians, I am enraged and repulsed by the hypocrisy, opportunism, and sheer gall of the appointment.Charles Adler is a Canadian journalist with a long-established career both in Canada and the United States. He began in radio in the 1970s and finished in 2021. He was typically considered a conservative host on his shows and even had been dubbed as being Canada’s version of Rush Limbaugh. He had been a regular on Fox News in the USA and had his own TV show with the short-lived but very conservative Sun News Network. I had been a guest on his shows a few times. It was always a fun romp as Adler’s interview style was fast-paced and tended to bounce around unexpectedly.In 2019, something suddenly changed with Adler. It was like a light switch had been flicked. He suddenly became an overnight Liberal and cheerleader of Trudeau’s policies. Adler also became a vicious, attack dog against all things conservative. He kicked it off with an ambush interview with Jason Kenney which clearly caught Kenney off guard. Adler then continued with years of critique against every conservative leader whether federal or provincial. People were confused with his mercurial change in political leanings. Had he hit his head in the shower or something?People’s political views evolve, but it’s unexpected to see somebody with a well-established set of political views built over decades suddenly do a political 180 and support the other side.Sadly, with Adler accepting his Senate appointment the reason for his ideological about face became all too clear. He was feathering his nest for retirement. His entire change of heart was about nothing more than money.In 2019, Charles Adler turned 65. Perhaps he hadn’t saved well over the years. Radio hosting doesn’t always pay as much as some folks would imagine and perhaps he didn’t participate in good pension plans. When one reaches the common age of retirement, they tend to start thinking of how they will be set up for those golden years.The Canadian Senate is the best gig a senior citizen could dream of. The attendance requirements are paltry while the compensation is lavish. It comes with a pension plan that ordinary Canadians could only dream of. Due to the nature of that institution, Charles Adler used to be one of its harshest critics.In 2013, Adler said: “Living with the Canadian Senate is living a lie. It’s not a chamber of sober second thought. It’s a chamber of drunken second chances.”In a staggering act of personal hypocrisy, Adler has taken advantage of the chamber of drunken second chances.With the Conservative outlook for power looking bleak on the federal scene in 2019, Adler did the only thing he felt could get him into the Senate; he became a Liberal. His broadcast career didn’t last long after that. His listener base wasn’t built on cheerleading for Trudeau and it fled quickly from the new Adler. Charles then bounced around for a few years on social media and being a gadfly on Liberal podcasts until the magic day finally arrived and he was awarded a Senate appointment.Was Adler really reading the political tea leaves that accurately in 2019?Was a deal struck back then or shortly afterward? Who knows? It sure would explain his weird epiphany.Such a sad ending to a respectable career. Decades of being true to his ideals were tossed aside for the chance to live a leisurely retirement. The respect of his readers and listeners and admirers has been lost but Adler doesn’t appear to care.As the late former Prime Minister Mulroney said when it comes to patronage appointments, “There’s no whore like an old whore.” Adler probably celebrated Mulroney’s statement at the time.
The Canadian Senate has always been a plum used by federal governments to dangle as a reward for loyal supporters. While Conservative governments have often appointed elected senators when they could, most of their appointments are based on partisan favour. Liberals and Conservatives are both guilty of having made some terrible appointments. Mike Duffy comes to mind when it comes to journalists appointed into the Senate as a reward for years of good coverage.The Reform Party of the 1990s built much of its base on pushing for what was called an EEE Senate which stood for equal, elected and effective. It’s presumed the effective part would come on its own if the equal and elected parts of the Senate could be achieved. Outside of Western Canada, the notion of a EEE Senate never caught on and the concept faded away when the Reform Party went national rather than regional.Canadians have a low expectation of Canadian Senate appointments and their expectations are typically met.Trudeau has pretended his Senate appointments aren’t partisan and labels them as “independent.” It’s a façade of course as Trudeau-appointed senators walk the Liberal party line on every policy vote. They just hide from the name of their party.Usually, Senate appointments bring little more than annoyance from me. I don’t care for most of the people who were appointed and don’t see them as being well-qualified for the job. That said, I don’t expect much of Senators and unless Canada reforms the constitution, nothing will change.In the case of Trudeau’s appointment of Charles Adler to the Senate though, things are different. Like many Canadians, I am enraged and repulsed by the hypocrisy, opportunism, and sheer gall of the appointment.Charles Adler is a Canadian journalist with a long-established career both in Canada and the United States. He began in radio in the 1970s and finished in 2021. He was typically considered a conservative host on his shows and even had been dubbed as being Canada’s version of Rush Limbaugh. He had been a regular on Fox News in the USA and had his own TV show with the short-lived but very conservative Sun News Network. I had been a guest on his shows a few times. It was always a fun romp as Adler’s interview style was fast-paced and tended to bounce around unexpectedly.In 2019, something suddenly changed with Adler. It was like a light switch had been flicked. He suddenly became an overnight Liberal and cheerleader of Trudeau’s policies. Adler also became a vicious, attack dog against all things conservative. He kicked it off with an ambush interview with Jason Kenney which clearly caught Kenney off guard. Adler then continued with years of critique against every conservative leader whether federal or provincial. People were confused with his mercurial change in political leanings. Had he hit his head in the shower or something?People’s political views evolve, but it’s unexpected to see somebody with a well-established set of political views built over decades suddenly do a political 180 and support the other side.Sadly, with Adler accepting his Senate appointment the reason for his ideological about face became all too clear. He was feathering his nest for retirement. His entire change of heart was about nothing more than money.In 2019, Charles Adler turned 65. Perhaps he hadn’t saved well over the years. Radio hosting doesn’t always pay as much as some folks would imagine and perhaps he didn’t participate in good pension plans. When one reaches the common age of retirement, they tend to start thinking of how they will be set up for those golden years.The Canadian Senate is the best gig a senior citizen could dream of. The attendance requirements are paltry while the compensation is lavish. It comes with a pension plan that ordinary Canadians could only dream of. Due to the nature of that institution, Charles Adler used to be one of its harshest critics.In 2013, Adler said: “Living with the Canadian Senate is living a lie. It’s not a chamber of sober second thought. It’s a chamber of drunken second chances.”In a staggering act of personal hypocrisy, Adler has taken advantage of the chamber of drunken second chances.With the Conservative outlook for power looking bleak on the federal scene in 2019, Adler did the only thing he felt could get him into the Senate; he became a Liberal. His broadcast career didn’t last long after that. His listener base wasn’t built on cheerleading for Trudeau and it fled quickly from the new Adler. Charles then bounced around for a few years on social media and being a gadfly on Liberal podcasts until the magic day finally arrived and he was awarded a Senate appointment.Was Adler really reading the political tea leaves that accurately in 2019?Was a deal struck back then or shortly afterward? Who knows? It sure would explain his weird epiphany.Such a sad ending to a respectable career. Decades of being true to his ideals were tossed aside for the chance to live a leisurely retirement. The respect of his readers and listeners and admirers has been lost but Adler doesn’t appear to care.As the late former Prime Minister Mulroney said when it comes to patronage appointments, “There’s no whore like an old whore.” Adler probably celebrated Mulroney’s statement at the time.
