[JURIST] Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper [party profile] has said he's willing to reopen Canada's perenniel constitutional debate. In an interview with CBC radio [CBC report] Sunday ahead of Monday's opening of the 39th Parliament [historical list] in Ottawa, Harper said, "Ultimately, there will have to be constitutional changes, not just to accommodate Quebec but also to accommodate demands we have from the West and from other parts of the country - and from the population of Canada." Harper also mentioned the possibility of reforming the constitution to allow for direct election of Senators.

Since the second referendum on Quebec sovereignty in 1995, no Canadian prime minister has been willing to take on subject of constitutional reform. Harper and his Conservative minority government [Mapleleafweb backgrounder] were elected on January 23 after promising to clean up corruption and fight crime. The Toronto Star has more.