Quebec’s Court of Appeal has ruled that if the Harper government wants to reform the Senate, it will need first – to get approval from the provinces and territories.

The court’s ruling says the federal government has no right, under Bill C-7, to create Senate elections and set term limits – without consulting the provinces.

It says the fathers of Confederation considered the role and function of the Senate in great detail and the conditions they drew up were essential to uniting the provinces  – under one country.

Bill C-7 would have set 9 year term limits for senators – and it would create elections in provinces that wanted them.

The legislation is already on hold as the intense debate over the nature of the upper chamber continues.

The Senate is currently being rocked by a spending scandal.