You're likely right that it has outlived whatever use it might once have had. But we've seen how divisive and unproductive amending the Constitution can be, so that's likely something we should just leave well down the wishlist. We could however do all sorts of useful things along the way just by passing a law here or there.
We could for example peg the pay rate for Senators at a minor-middle mangement\foreman level specified in the civil service. We could give them only a specified number of paid trips from their residence in the boonies to Ottawa. We could make what we do now—appoint useful party stalwarts, pensionable party hacks, even an occasional
party rebel like Hugh Segal—but in a more democratic fashion, we could actually take a bit of pride and comfort from.
All we need is for the Senate to be dismissed, as the Commons is, when an election is called. Mass resignation by prior agreement when appointed would accomplish the same thing. The parties recognized by Elections Canada would publish their ranked list of Senate nominees at election time. The PM would appoint the new crop of Senators from those lists according to the popular vote each party got. We voters might even change our choice of MP if we hated their party's Senate list badly enough, or if we we bowled over by their merits.
The current PM has already gone on record with his belief that all of the above lies within the area of ordinary legislation and asked the Supreme Court to say he's right. But all he's offered as a vision is the same sort of Senate as before but made even more troublesome by Senators now having the mandate of personal election and thinking they're just as good as MPs.
An appointed upper chamber of party choices, gives us the proportional representation our current set-up lacks, but leave the power balance we're used to. If we're stuck with the Senate—like the aging relative we can't toss out in the cold—at least this would admit what the Senate does, and get the foolish doing it in a more direct and even useful way.
Like getting Granny to knit thongs instead of bed-jackets no one wears.
