CBC analysis finds many senators miss key votes

A CBC News analysis of Senate attendance found that dozens of senators regularly miss key votes in the upper chamber, with some legislation passing after only about half of senators cast a vote. The report examined attendance over the 12 months after the last federal election, a period in which the Senate met for 76 sitting days. Only eight senators had perfect attendance during that time. Others were absent for reasons such as illness, leave, or outside public duties, and some were reported as present briefly before leaving. Senate sources said the pattern is especially noticeable on Thursdays, when some members leave Ottawa early. The issue has drawn renewed attention as Prime Minister Mark Carney moves to reform Senate appointments and says he wants the chamber to be more effective in advancing legislation. Senate leaders and independent senators said attendance must be balanced with work outside the chamber, while critics argued that chronic absenteeism weakens accountability in an appointed body.