AN AGENDA TO STRENGTHEN DEMOCRACY Yesterday, the House of Commons voted in principle on Conservative MP Michael Chongs proposed legislation to loosen the grip of Party Leaders over their respective Members of Parliament. It passed easily. Justin Trudeau and almost all of our Liberal Caucus voted in favour. Among other things, the draft law suggests that Party Leaders should not have the authority to sign (or refuse to sign) the nomination papers of all their candidates. It also gives Parliamentary Caucuses the power to initiate a process to fire their Leader. And so forth. Some herald this vote as a great break-through. Others say it is more symbolic than real because, to get support (especially from his own Prime Minister and Cabinet), Mr. Chong had to water-down his proposals so far that theyre now merely options to be considered, not mandatory change. Lets hope they will make a difference in empowering individual MPs. But more will be required. During his run for the Liberal leadership, Justin Trudeau made a number of specific proposals for democratic reform. For example, he was the first to require his entire National Liberal Caucus to publish all their travel and hospitality expenses on a pro-active basis. His plan has since been adopted and implemented by the entire House of Commons. He has also introduced legislation to reduce government secrecy and bolster public Access-to-Information. And he has accomplished some actual Senate reform - more than anyone else - by proposing a non-partisan, non-patronage selection process and by requiring all previous Liberal appointees to withdraw immediately from the National Caucus and to serve as genuine independents. Liberal reform plans also include more free votes in Parliament. Party discipline would apply only in three specific circumstances - i.e., (i) when a confidence issue is involved according to Parliamentary traditions like on a Throne Speech or a Budget, (ii) when a vote relates to a specific campaign promise made to Canadians and upon which the government got elected, and (iii) when a matter is rooted in the Charter of Canadian Rights and Freedoms. Otherwise (and in the vast majority of cases), the whips would not apply and MPs would be free to make their own decisions and assume their own responsibilities. Minister would have to work harder and in a more cross-partisan fashion to win approval for what they want to put before the House. We also need to restore stronger Parliamentary control over the public purse - historically, that is what a Parliament is for! For example, there could be an annual deadline date for the presentation of each budget. There could be accounting consistency between the Estimates (before spending) and the Public Accounts (after spending) so MPs can actually follow the money. The House could demand a costing analysis attached to every government Bill. And the government could be required to seek Parliaments approval before borrowing any money. Beyond that, we need a truly independent and properly resourced Parliamentary Budget Officer. There should be an impartial system (as some provinces have) to identify and eliminate purely partisan government advertising. And there need to be strict fences built around the use of secret Committee proceedings, Closure, Omnibus Bills and Prorogation to prevent their misuse to undermine transparency and accountability. And two other ideas: Elections Canada must be adequately staffed and funded, with independent investigative powers and enforcement authority to fight voter suppression and electoral fraud. And Canada should have a preferential ballot in its voting system. This would help ensure that successful election candidates actually get at least 50% of the votes cast, and their campaigning would need to be more civil and respectful because they would have to be concerned about Second Ballot choices. Old, divisive wedge politics wouldnt work anymore. Candidates would need to focus on what they can achieve in common, not the personal vilification of their opponents. What do you think? Good ideas are always welcome.
Posted on: Thu, 25 Sep 2014 16:55:56 +0000
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