Conservative M.P. Michael Chong, as we know, is about to table his draft Bill which if passed, will change forever the workings of Parliament.
I support it … subject to amendment.
Chong as you may also remember resigned from Cabinet in 2006 on a matter of principle – he was opposed to Prime Minister Harper and his fellow cabinet colleagues recognizing Quebec as a distinct State.
In this Chong, is the only member that I can recall in recent Parliamentary history to resign on a matter of principle.
He is therefore is most unique and someone who I believe is deserving of our respect.
Now back to his draft Bill:
- it would enable 15% of a Party’s ‘MP Caucus’ to call a leadership vote which oblige all Caucus MPs to vote and if a simple majority – that is to say, 50% plus 1 vote for a change in leadership – the Leader is history. We saw such take place with the late Margaret Thatcher.
- it would return the power to select candidates for election to the individual riding associations instead of the current system where the candidate is required to obtain the Party Leader’s authorization. finally,
- it would allow the caucus to determine chairmanship for the various House Committees.
A general comment first.
The late Prime Minister Trudeau once famously said, that “MPs are nobodies when they are 50 yards from Parliament Hill”.
He was correct but since then even more power has devolved to the Prime Minister’s Office so an updated version of Trudeau’s statement would classify MPs as nobodies even when they are on Parliament Hill.
From my perspective, anything that can be done to return power to the Member of Parliament is well worth doing and is democracy in action.
Some argue though it is the reverse … that it would be undemocratic to have a relatively small and select group – i.e. the Party’s MPs - decide whom their Leader should be, in the place of the Party’s general membership.
I take the attitude that life is a trade off and better to give the ordinary MP more power than see it reside in the PMO. After all, the MPs are elected in theory to do their constituents'’ bidding.
So bring it on.
That said, some amendments are in desperate need.
First off – the 15% requirement for a leadership vote needs to be increased – I would increase it to 50% of all Party MPs outside of Cabinet. I would then increase the vote needed to vote out a sitting Leader to two thirds and it would be by secret ballot.
The 50% numbers would rule out a cadre of rogue MPs who are simply just trying to cause trouble / disruption. The two third vote needed to change leadership would ensure that sitting Leaders are only replaced in exceptional circumstances; otherwise the system would apt to bog down in chaos.
Finally I would add provisions to the clause that would allow caucus to nominate and appoint their own Committee Chairs. A mechanism is needed to see that the Committee deliberations and recommendations can go forward and be voted on in the House of Commons. That is to say, they could bypass Cabinet indorsation.
This latter amendment would require thought and thus I would suspect it should await further study. Perhaps it could go to the Committee on Parliamentary Procedure for consideration?
As I see it…
‘K.D. Galagher’
