Quiet encouragement was the best we could ever offer MP Michael Chong’s reform bill. At its earliest it was idealistic and in its final form it is probably immaterial. Whether the Senate passes it or not, it is really necessary to wait for the next parliament to see if the Conservative MP’s bill really matters.
Chong’s first problem is that you hardly need to pass a law to recognize a caucus revolt among any party’s elected politicians. A revolt is a revolt; it is not something a party leader can ignore. While most political parties in Canada have some clause or other that says how the party can dump its leader, the customs of the Canadian parliament agree that a party leader no longer recognized by the party’s elective caucus is de facto no longer the party leader in parliament.
This writer was a very young and very inexperienced radio reporter at the convention of the Progressive Conservative Party that saw the confrontation between Leader John Diefenbaker and Party President Dalton Camp. It not only made great theatre but it affirmed the ability of the party to change its leadership.
And it hardly matters whether the demand for a leadership review vote comes from the party or the parliamentary caucus. It does not seem proper though for Chong to base part of his bill on the British practice of party leadership being under control of the elected caucus as opposed to the political party. We have a much better system in Canada where the party and the caucus are different wings of the party and they work together.
What is amusing about Chong’s bill is that he forgets that in Canada, the appointed Senators are part of the Conservative Party caucus but not the Liberals or the New Democrats. Chong would have a hard time convincing all those friends of Stephen Harper if he tried to lead a revolt against his leadership.
What we always agreed with Michael Chong on was that the power of the party leader to decide who can be a candidate for their party had to end. This was the stupidest change Canadians had ever allowed in our political system. It was ill-considered and is destroying the ability and will of our MPs to represent their constituents.
With the loss of a vibrant news media, voters have little information to base their choice for their MP and have more and more voted just for the party leaders. Canadians have been electing larger and larger caucuses of drones to our parliament and legislatures.
Michael Chong and other reformers have a long road ahead in fixing this mess.
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Copyright 2015 © Peter Lowry
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