Making the individual MP relevant in Canada

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OTTAWA — An NDP MP signalled Friday her party may not support a forthcoming bill aimed at limiting the power of the prime minister. The problems the bill aims to fix — such as curbing the control of party leaders over their MPs — are only found in the Conservative caucus, Edmonton NDP MP Linda Duncan told The Huffington Post Canada.

HuffPost reported Thursday that Tory backbencher Michael Chong plans to bring forward legislation next week to curb the power of all party leaders. The bill is the culmination of months of discussion among a small group of MPs who are hoping to loosen the stranglehold of the prime minister’s office on individual representatives, giving MPs more freedom to speak their minds and vote their conscience.

The Tory backbenchers involved in the group, dubbed “Committee 2012”, insist their efforts to inject more democracy into the Commons have nothing to do with the current Senate scandal engulfing the PMO. But the NDP suggested it won’t support the bill because it responds to a uniquely Tory problem

From Republican to #IndependentCandiate – Parties are now best friend independents could have

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Since Republicans in the House forced a government shutdown, many Americans have turned against the G.O.P. Even conservative business leaders, who were once the middle of the “big tent,” have been pushed aside by the prevailing Tea Party faction.

What will come of those trends? Do the current unpopularity of Congress and the infighting in the Republican Party create an opening for independent or third-party candidates in the 2014 midterms?

 

The begin of the end of the party system and the rise of #Independent Candidates

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The article tweeted includes:

This may be the beginning of the end of Washington as we know it. A rising generation of pragmatic, non-ideological voters is appalled by the dysfunctional leadership of their parents and grandparents. History may consider October 2013 their breaking point. There will come a time when Millennials aren’t just mad as hell; they won’t take it anymore.

The Republican Party may be splitting apart. The divide is between conservatives who want to limit government and extremists who oppose governing.

The latter sect is represented by Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas who is misleading his supporters. He knows that the GOP can’t overturn Obamacare because Republicans only control one half of one branch of government. And yet, Cruz and other tea party Republicans pledge to do the impossible, presumably to build email lists, bank accounts, and fame.

On the other side of the GOP divide are conservatives who were already worried about the future of their party. Rep. Tom Cole of Oklahoma, a campaign savvy conservative, wants the GOP focused on refurbishing its image rather than conducting kamikaze missions. “Let’s go win some elections,” Cole tells GOP voters. Sen. Tom Coburn, a conservative by any sane measure, said on MSNBC last week, “I’m now no longer conservative according to the standards that have been set by the expectations of this process.”

 

Vicki Huntington’s historical win lone bright spot for independent candidates

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It was a bittersweet election for the province’s four high-profile independents, who had hoped to make a statement that B.C.’s polarized political system had room for their non-party voices. Vicki Huntington (Delta South) made political history as the first independent MLA to be re-elected as an independent since political parties were recognized in 1903.

The Rathbeger resignation – A time for consideration

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Congratulations to Mr. Rathgeber. His resignation should be used to begin a discussion about the proper role of the MP in Canada. I hope that he runs in the next election as an Independent Candidate. Furthermore, voters in his riding must take the opportunity to to remind ALL parties that the MP is the link between the voters and government. The erosion of the significance of the individual MP is tantamount to an erosion of the significance of the individual voter. In a democracy, the role of elected representatives should be to serve the voters. The role of elected representatives is NOT to a mechanism to serve the PMO or to serve a political party. Rather than look for a new candidate, this particular riding association should examine its moral principles and understanding of what democracy is about.

But that won’t happen because this riding association exists to serve the party and not the people.

As Winston Churchill once said:

“Some will sacrifice principle for party and some party for principle.”

Want to make a real choice? Vote for an independent!

Want to make a real difference? Run as an Independent!

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