MPs Elizabeth May and Michael Chong lead discussion
On Tuesday, Oct. 10, the pews of Harcourt United Church were filled as Green Party leader, Elizabeth May, and Conservative Member of Parliament (MP), Michael Chong, from Wellington-Halton Hills visited Guelph. The two MPs came together to discuss topics featured in the book, Turning Parliament Inside Out: Practical Ideas for Reforming Canada’s Democracy, which was edited by Chong and features collaborative, practical suggestions for reforming Canadian Parliament. The event was sponsored by Fair Vote Guelph, Democracy Guelph, the Bookshelf, and the Council of Canadians. Liberal MP for Guelph, Lloyd Longfield, sent his regrets for the event, as he was unable to attend due to a prior engagement.
As Chong stated at the event, “a healthy democracy can raise the voice of the people.”
Democracy was the focus of the town hall-style event because of the rise in civic action groups like Fair Vote and Democracy Guelph in the region. These groups assembled because one of Justin Trudeau’s campaign promises in 2015 was electoral reform. A special committee, of which MP Elizabeth May was a part, was formed to evaluate options for reform. However, once an official recommendation for a $300 million referendum was released, Prime Minister Trudeau decided not to move forward and removed electoral reform from the Minister of Democratic Affairs’ mandate letter.
Both Chong and May brought unique perspectives to the event. Chong argued the need for parliamentary reform on committees and in political parties, whereas May reaffirmed the need for committee reform and electoral reform. One of Chong’s main concerns was the power of political party leaders. A party’s candidate in every riding must be approved by a party leader. Chong explained that, we must give “power to the people” and reinstate power within constituencies. Chong also emphasized how the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) controls which MPs sit on committees, with the ability to remove/replace the member of Parliament at any time. Chong and May both referenced how earlier this month Liberal MP, Wayne Long, was removed from two committees for representing the views of his constituents.
May, a supporter of proportional representation, said that, “it is the responsibility of government to pass legislation that is in the public interest, based on evidence.”
The evidence has shown, overwhelmingly, that most Canadians want to have fair voting. Most people who know about [electoral reform] want some form of proportional representation.”
Both Chong and May addressed committee reform and a need for greater proportional representation of parties across committees. Currently, the representation on parliamentary committees is proportional to the seats in the House of Commons. There are 24 committees, each with 10 members: six Liberals, three Conservatives, and one NDP. While the Liberal party does have nearly 60 per cent of the seats in the house, they only earned 39.5 per cent of the popular vote in 2015.
To conclude, Chong left the audience with a quote from Winston Churchill: “Democracy is a terrible form of government, but it’s better than all the rest.” This emphasized the importance of checks and balances in power.
How can you support democracy, and in turn, electoral reform?
On occasion, Democracy Guelph can be found on Saturday mornings at the Guelph Farmers’ Market, petitioning for local proportional representation, as well as at the University Centre. In addition to meeting in-person, you can also write, email, call, or speak to your MP demanding action on electoral and parliamentary reform.
Photo courtesy of Chatelaine.