For those who thought the new Stephen Harper, free from the shackles of minority government, would be any different from the old Stephen Harper, think again:

Harper appoints three defeated candidates to Senate

Prime Minister Stephen Harper has appointed three losing Conservative candidates to the Senate — including two former senators who had stepped down to run in the recent federal election.

Larry Smith and Fabian Manning resigned their Senate seats to run for election, but both lost. Josée Verner, who was Canadian Heritage and intergovernmental minister under Harper but lost her riding on May 2, is also getting a Senate seat.

I’m sure we’ll hear the usual excuses, but this is really the last time Harper will get a free pass on Senate appointments. The “Liberals did it” line begins to wear thin in your third mandate, and Harper is now up against an official opposition proposing to abolish the Senate, with bit more credibility on the file.

More importantly, Harper now has his majority in the House…and in the Senate. Yes, his hands are tied by the constitution to a certain extent, but Harper is in a position to make changes.

There’s no excuse left for this continued trip to the patronage trough. He either needs to start proposing tangible Senate reforms, or admit it’s something he just doesn’t care about.