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Monthly Archives: November 2011
NDPWatch: Why suddenly so concerned about floor crossing, Official Opposition?
- November 2, 2011 11:21 AM | Read 27 comments27
- By Kady O’Malley
Note: The following meanderings originally appeared on twitter, but have been tweaked, extended and edited for readability.
Enthusiastic party press releases to the contrary, the next NDP-backed private members’ bill headed for the floor of the House does not, in fact, “ban” floor crossing outright, but would trigger an automatic byelection when an MP “becomes a member of a registered party” that did not endorse his or her candidacy in the election. Continue reading
Remarkable – The NDP tables bill to prevent floor crossing
This is truly remarkable. Note the jutification.
November 2, 2011
OTTAWA – New Democrat MPs Mathieu Ravignat (Pontiac) and Peter Stoffer (Sackville-Eastern Shore) tabled a Private Member’s Bill today to prevent MPs from changing political affiliations during their term.
“Members shouldn’t play petty politics and think only of their career, by changing political parties whenever they like,” said Ravignat. “MPs were elected personally, and under their party banner. We must ensure that members are accountable to their constituents.”
If adopted, this bill will prevent Members of Parliament from changing their party affiliation during their mandate. A member who wishes to leave their party would either have to sit as an independent or run in a by-election.
This bill was introduced by Peter Stoffer in the last Parliament.
“I am happy to support my colleague who is bringing the issue back to Parliament,” said Stoffer. “At the present time, any member can cross the House without accountability to their constituents. We are determined to prevent this from happening once and for all.”
Parties of Independent Candidates
There is a “love hate” relationship with policital parties. There are many who “hate” the fact that party MPs or MPPs are loyal to the parties and not to their consituents. On the other hand, there are many who see Independent Candidates has having a harder time winning elections.
We are now seeing “parties of independent candidates”. For example, in Ontario, in the October 2011 election, Onarians were introduced to the Canadians Choice Party – a party of Independent Candidates. In Quebec, the CAQ is a party (at least according to the following article) formed largely from Independent Candidates.
See the following article:
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/1085378–a-powerful-new-party-rises-in-quebec
Jacques Boissinot/THE CANADIAN PRESS
Andrew Chung Quebec Bureau
MONTREAL—No one will say it now, but people like Benoit Charette could be one of the first faces of a movement that is turning Quebec politics on its head.
In June, he dumped the Parti Québécois, for which he acted as the immigration critic and is sitting as an independent for the riding of Deux Montagnes, northwest of Montreal. But over the summer, he said, he found himself more and more captivated by the new Coalition pour l’avenir du Québec.
“I find it interesting, and I think many Quebecers are on the same page,” Charette said. “For the first time in 40 years we are proposing to bring people together on a base different from the national question. It’s refreshing.”
Come the next legislative session early in 2012, he and a handful of other independents and members of the rightist party Action démocratique du Québec, could become members of the CAQ. Continue reading