OTTAWA - The Conservatives have passed up a chance to seize control of a key Senate committee that they regularly attack for stalling or watering down government bills.
Now that the Tories hold more seats in the upper chamber than the Liberals, they can reconfigure committees to reflect their new power.
But instead of taking the chair of the legal and constitutional affairs committee, which has been examining hot-button crime bills, they left that job to Liberal Senator Joan Fraser.
They will take over the reins of the high-profile public security and national defence committee, however, as well as the internal economy committee, which controls the resources of the Senate. The Tories now hold eight chair positions, and the Liberals seven.
A spokesman for Conservative Senate Leader Marjorie LeBreton declined to comment on the decision not to pursue the legal and constitutional affairs committee.
"Obviously the Conservatives will have a majority of members on the committee," said Chris Montgomery.
Justice Minister Rob Nicholson has attacked Liberals on the committee for stalling and sabotaging bills that had already been passed in the House of Commons. Most recently, the committee ran up afoul of the government over mandatory minimum sentences for pot growers.
But Fraser, a former newspaper editor, is well regarded by both Liberals and Conservatives despite the public bluster. She speaks infrequently to the media, and maintains a businesslike tone at the committee.
The Conservatives -- and it seems some Liberals -- were not as enamoured with the previous chairman of the public security and national defence committee.
Colin Kenny's high-profile attacks on both Liberal and Conservative military policy over the last 10 years made him one of the best known senators in Canada. Most recently, he accompanied Transport Minister John Baird into secure areas of Toronto's Pearson International Airport to point out security gaps.
Kenny is no longer even a member of the committee, and has been replaced in the chair's role by Conservative Pamela Wallin. Liberal Senator Romeo Dallaire will be the vice-chair.
Kenny said in an interview that Liberal Senate Leader James Cowan had offered him a spot on the committee, but with "conditions" he could not accept. He did not elaborate.
He said he was proud of the work the committee had accomplished.
"I quite enjoyed it and we had a terrific staff and it wasn't until last year when Wallin arrived that it became a pain in the ass," Kenny said of his Conservative rival.
Cowan said Kenny had done a great job, but that the time had come for a change.
"Every team needs to be changed once in a while," said Cowan. "We can't simply have the same people fill the same roles year after year."
