Reddit mentions of Protecting Canadian Democracy: The Senate You Never Knew

Senate reform is absolutely still relevant, but I don't think it should happen the way that the CPC does or the NDP does.

The Senate is often reviled for being 'undemocratic', but there's little evidence that this is actually a problem. In fact, if you look at the recent records, it often seems that the Senate is doing its job better than the Commons---more cordial, productive committee meetings, more time looking at the little details of bills rather than getting involved in politics, more listening to witnesses to determine if the government's ideas are actually good ones.

There is no evidence to indicate that electing or abolishing the Senate would improve how it works. That's not to say I like the current appointment system---I don't. I think it should be appointed by an independent body (at least, more independent than the Prime Minister), perhaps with a shortlist provided to the Governor-General for final selection. The distribution of the seats should be addressed. Term limits should be in place (although they should be non-renewable)---the one good thing about the CPC's proposal, even though the proposed 9 years is probably a few years short of ideal.

I recommend Senator Joyal's Protecting Canadian Democracy: The Senate You Never Knew, a compilation of papers from researchers and politicians investigating Senate reform. The book did not cause me to have my current opinions, but it made me more convinced that both electing and abolishing the Senate are inferior solutions.

EDIT: I'll add that the one thing that every paper in that book agreed on was that Senate reform shouldn't happen without Commons reform, because they are dual bodies and changes to one without considering the other are likely to be ineffective or worse. I couldn't agree more.