The government leader in the Senate says Stephen Harper's Conservatives remain committed to reform of the upper chamber, as they face a barrage of criticism for the appointment this week of three failed party candidates.

Outspoken New Democrat MP Pat Martin needled Marjory LeBreton on CTV's Question Period Sunday, saying she must have the "toughest job in the country, trying to take the stink off the three stooges."

On the same day that he introduced a new cabinet, Prime Minister Stephen Harper appointed three defeated Conservative candidates to the Senate.

Two of them – Quebec's Larry Smith and Newfoundland's Fabian Manning – had given up their Senate seats at the beginning of the election to run for office. The third, longtime Quebec MP Josee Verner, had been defeated in her riding on May 2.

LeBreton says Harper is still very much dedicated to senate reform and having an elected senate.

"We are committed to senate reform," said LeBreton. "The three that we just brought back in, they've all served in caucus, they all support senate reform and they'll make a great contribution to the senate."

LeBreton also pointed to the prime minister's previous promise to democratize the senate.

In 2006, when Harper first came into office, he pledged that he wouldn't appoint senators and would instead make the senate an accountable body.

Martin suggested the prime minister performed a "sleight of hand" with these appointments.

It's "one of those bait and switch things to take our eyes off the cabinet shuffle which had loads of problems with all the architects of the scandals of the previous parliament being rewarded not punished."

Minister of immigration, Jason Kenney, who appeared later on the show, said the appointments were necessary for reform. "We needed control of the senate in order to do so."

Kenney said the government plans to not only appoint elected senators but to also bring forward the legislation that will limit terms to eight years.

Currently, senators can serve in the upper house until they are 75 years of age.

Kenny also responded to the sharp criticism the Harper government received from the premiers of Nova Scotia and Saskatchewan.

"I would say to those premiers or others in the provinces that they can fix this by bringing in provincial elections for senators. We appointed Bert Brown, the only person elected to represent his province in the senate. We call on other provinces to emulate Alberta's lead by holding senate elections."

Brown was appointed in 2007 after winning an election in Alberta.

Currently, the Tories hold a majority in Senate, with 55 seats out of 105.

Between now and the next election in October 2015, there are 25 scheduled senator retirements -- four of which will occur between now and the end of the year.