Senator says growing list of vacancies signals 'the end of an era' for independence
(www.thecanadianpressnews.ca)
In theory, yes. In practice, they're just a waste of money and time. Effectively, it's just the PM who appoints them. Hence, what ends up happening is that it gets packed with liberal and conservative donors who act as nothing but rubber stamps for Parliament's bills.
Here's the NDP's stance on this for example.