Tuesday, December 3rd, 2013, Conservative MP Michael Chong introduced a private member’s bill known as the Reform Act, which is designed to renew parliamentary democracy in Canada.As I understand it, the Reform Act would:
- Empower MPs to represent their constituents rather than being the trained seals of respectively, the prime minister, the PMO, and party leaders
- Empower members of party caucuses to fire abusive party leaders, including the prime minister
- Empower MPs–not party leaders–to have the final say on whether an MP should be permitted to sit in caucus
- Empower riding associations, rather than party leaders, to nominate candidates for elections
My understanding is that the principles of the proposed Reform Act are in line with existing parliamentary practice in both the United Kingdom and Australia. It’s already attracting strong interest across Canada, and MPs from all parties–Conservative, Liberal, Green and NDP–are supporting it.
If/when enacted, the Reform Act could transform politics in Canada for the benefit of all Canadians.
MPs are watching to see how their constituents react to Mr. Chong’s initiative. Now is the time for Eastern Ontarians to speak up and give theReform Act a resounding YES!
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