Trudeau-appointed Senator Paula Simons went on a tirade in Alberta Views magazine, condemning all the questions being asked of Albertans in the referendum to be held this fall. She knocked the dust from her thesaurus used during her years of writing Liberal-friendly columns and said the referendum was “nasty,” “disingenuous,” “malicious,” “spiteful,” “xenophobic,” “divisive” and “performative.”

Simons missed the words “democratic”, “timely”, “salient” and “representative.”

Simons herself was once a vocal critic of the Senate as a columnist for the Edmonton Journal. But that all changed once she was appointed by former Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Ms. Simons has enjoyed the life of a Canadian senator for some years now, which involves maximum compensation with minimum work, along with a pension Canadians can only dream of, and she never had to face the electorate to get there. One can see why she would be so upset that voters will have a chance to democratically express their thoughts on the institution that has feathered her bed so comfortably. Even if the question asking to abolish the Senate doesn’t compel the federal government to act upon it.

Most of Simons’ invective was directed toward the referendum questions asking Alberta citizens about providing tax-funded services to temporary residents. Simons claims incorrectly that it would be an attack upon refugees and immigrants, which is untrue. The issue is with people in Alberta on temporary visas who are pressuring healthcare and educational services to the tune of over a billion dollars per year.

The senator rages over the referendum question number 1, which proposes Alberta taking increased control of immigration in order to prioritize economic migrants. She says, “The first one boggles me most.” The question isn’t boggling at all. It’s just asking if Alberta should embrace the exact sort of policy Quebec has had for decades. Senator Simons hasn’t been terribly vocal from the sleepy Red Chamber of the Senate when it comes to Quebec’s immigration policies.

Even if 90% of Albertans voted to abolish the Senate, the Senate would remain unchanged because Canada’s constitutional amendment requirements make such a change impossible to attain. Eastern provinces currently grossly overrepresented in the Senate will never support equalizing the institution. What Simons fears, though, is the blow to her pride if a majority of citizens choose to support getting rid of the Senate. It would be a blow to her pride and demonstrate that she only represents her Liberal benefactors and not Albertan citizens themselves.

The only thing truly vile is that Canada has a system of appointed senators in a regionally stacked house who never have to ask voters for direction or validation. Simons opposes asking citizens the question because she fears the answer.