Conservative MP unveils bill to give backbenchers more independence. / the “executive branch” – the PMO – “absolutely” has too much power. A Conservative MP has tabled a bill that would claw back the powers of federal party leaders, the latest move by backbenchers looking for more independence in the House of Commons. Ontario MP Michael Chong made his bill public Tuesday morning in a motion that was supported by Alberta MP James Rajotte, a long-time Conservative MP who serves as chair of the Finance Committee. Mr. Rajotte and three other Conservative backbenchers have said they’ll support the bill, though Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s Office and cabinet have yet to weigh in. Bill C-559, if passed, would formalize MPs’ powers to kick out a party leader, and give MPs – not the leader – the power to decide which MPs get kicked out of caucus, and which are admitted. Critically, it would also remove the party leader’s power to sign off on all candidate nominations, handing that power to local constituency groups. That, in effect, removes the ability of Mr. Harper, NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair, Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau and other party leaders to punish disobedient party MPs by refusing to sign their nomination papers as party candidates. Mr. Chong’s bill would take effect after the 2015 election, if passed. “The proposals in the Reform Act would reinforce the principles of responsible government,” Mr. Chong said at a news conference Tuesday. “It would make the executive more accountable to the legislature, and ensure that party leaders maintain the confidence of their caucuses.” He said the reforms are in line with other parliamentary democracies, but would put into writing “practices that are currently governed by unwritten convention.” His bill comes after a move earlier this year by backbenchers over their rights to make statements in the House of Commons, and after the departure of a Conservative MP, Brent Rathgeber, who quit caucus in June and said the Prime Minister’s Office has grown too powerful. The PMO has also been implicated in the ongoing Senate scandal, where RCMP documents allege Mr. Harper’s office was closely involved in trying to manage fallout. But Mr. Chong stressed on Tuesday that his bill is not meant as a rebuke of Mr. Harper and is not in response to the recent issues. However, he said the “executive branch” – the PMO – “absolutely” has too much power. “I want to be clear. The Prime Minister has my confidence to carry out the mandate given to Conservative MPs,” Mr. Chong said Tuesday, after earlier saying: “Since Confederation, numerous and gradual changes have eroded the power of the Member of Parliament, and centralized it in the party leadership structures. As a result, the ability of Members of Parliament to carry out their functions has been curtailed… the Reform Act proposes to correct this problem by restoring the power and the role of the elected Member of Parliament.” Mr. Chong already has support from some caucus members, including Mr. Rajotte and MPs Stella Ambler, Kyle Seeback and Larry Miller. “It’s a fundamental rebalancing between the executive [branch of government, the Prime Minister’s Office] and the legislative. And this is, as he described, a long-standing issue that needs to be opened. That’s why I’m supporting this bill,” Mr. Rajotte said Tuesday. Mr. Miller said he didn’t consider the PMO’s response in deciding whether to back the bill, but called on the NDP and Liberals to support it. “I challenge Justin Trudeau and Thomas Mulcair to support this. They especially have always said we need democratic reform. Well, put your money where your mouth is and vote for this,” Mr. Miller, a Conservative MP from Ontario, said Tuesday. “Both think they’re going to be the next Prime Minister. I don’t believe that’s the case, but just the fact they think they’re going to be prime minister, is that going to scare them away from supporting this? Time will tell. In my opinion, if they don’t support this, they’re hypocrites.” He said he’d only spoken with Mr. Chong and “one or two others” about the bill as of midday Tuesday, and said “I have no idea” when asked what support it will have among Conservative MPs. The Conservative caucus has its weekly meeting Wednesday morning. Mr. Chong said he plans to speak to the caucus, including Mr. Harper, then about his bill. He said he’ll speak to the NDP and Liberals about the bill afterwards, if invited to do so by both, but wanted to speak first to his own caucus. The NDP were set to address the subject later Tuesday. Mr. Trudeau’s staff released a written statement about the bill, saying the Liberal leader is “studying it closely” and will discuss it in his own caucus meeting Wednesday – but stopped short of pledging support for it. “We are open to any and all discussions on democratic reform and I agree with this bill’s broad objectives,” Mr. Trudeau said in the written statement. Independent MP Bruce Hyer is backing the bill. “This is the most important piece of legislation in this parliament, perhaps many parliaments,” Mr. Hyer said. “It’s going to take us back to where we were for 103 years, from 1867 to 1970, when Pierre Trudeau gutted the Elections Act, and the fine print said national leaders must sign [candidates’] nomination papers. This is unbelievably important. For me, it’s a litmus test on whether we have democracy or not.” Mr. Rathgeber, now an independent MP, and Green Party Leader Elizabeth May, who is her party’s only MP, both also support the bill. Ms. May had already tabled a similar one, Bill C-503, that would have removed party leaders’ signing authority over candidates. She said Tuesday she’ll abandon her bill and back Mr. Chong’s, which is broader in scope. Under her own party’s rules, she already doesn’t have the power to unilaterally pick or reject a candidate. “Getting rid of that is really critical,” Ms. May said in an interview, asked about party leaders’ powers to approve candidates. “It’s critical we dismantle the level of control in the Prime Minister’s Office, and also of all other party leaders.” The fate of Mr. Chong’s Reform Act – the “Act to amend the Canada Elections Act and the Parliament of Canada Act (reforms),” by its long title – is unclear. Mr. Harper’s office had declined comment prior to the tabling, saying it hasn’t yet read the bill. Mr. Chong said he’s “optimistic” that Mr. Harper may support it, but that he expects vigorous debate among Conservative MPs. Mr. Miller, for instance, says some may think Mr. Chong set the bar too low to trigger a leadership review – his bill would force party leaders into a review if 15 per cent of MPs call for one. “It’s not a concern for me, but I have had one of my constituents who had a concern that 15 was a little too low, so let’s have that debate,” Mr. Miller said. It may not matter what the Prime Minister thinks. Mr. Chong already has support from some Conservative backbenchers, leading Ms. May to believe that the ball is not in Mr. Harper’s court, but in that of the Liberal and NDP leaders. “It will pass if Trudeau and Mulcair support it,” she said. Debate on the bill isn’t expected before the new year. theglobeandmail/news/politics/tory-mp-to-table-reform-bill-increasing-power-of-caucuses/article15734316/
Posted on: Tue, 03 Dec 2013 19:03:11 +0000
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