Do you believe in democracy?
Electoral reform is a topic that is frequently discussed in this country, particularly after elections. I think what is missing from many of those conversations is democratic reform. Electoral reform is important, but the hidden erosion of our democracy may be an even bigger concern. This erosion has taken many forms and it seems to have been lost in conversations about our government.
What follows are my opinions on how to restore more democracy to Canadian politics.
Legislatures are essential services.
In times of crisis, Canadians deserve to see their leaders working in the legislature and debating the needs of the country. Throughout the early waves of covid-19, this was missing, and even now, many times the federal and provincial governments seem to ignore the role of the legislature in the operation of the government.
Reduce the power of non-elected officials.
Since Stephen Harper’s government, the Office of the Prime Minister seems to have usurped more authority than ever before. Un-elected officials should advise our elected leaders, but implementation decisions should rest with those elected representatives.
Canada is not the United States.
As a parliamentary democracy, premiers should not be making unilateral announcements on policy outside of their legislatures. During the pandemic, it seemed like some premiers were making “off-the-cuff” announcements that seemed to surprise even some of their cabinet ministers. Parliamentary democracies do not pivot on just one person the way the government seems to in the United States.
Stop Omnibus bills from abusing democracy.
Recent governments have overloaded certain bills, under the omnibus label, with numerous “hidden” pieces of legislation. These bills are forced through the legislative process and are not subject to as much attention as they would have received under separate bills. Omnibus bills have become tools to force multiple, unrelated agenda items through legislatures with the debate often limited. I propose, if a government wants to use omnibus legislation then they should not be allowed to limit debate on passing that bill.
Elected officials should always vote according to their conscience.
Elected officials are supposed to represent their constituents; unfortunately, they seem to be tightly controlled by the government and they are forced to vote according to their party’s wishes instead. This handicaps their ability to vote according to their beliefs and for the people they represent. Second, the ability to vote without interference should not necessarily defeat the government and trigger an election. Therefore, I propose, if a bill is defeated, even a spending bill, then a second separate confidence vote would be held within 72 hours, giving elected representatives time to return and support their party without causing an election.
Attendance in legislatures.
Elected officials should have to attend 75% of the sittings in each house. Appreciating that elected officials do some of their work outside of their legislature is the only reason the requirement is not 100%. Additionally, attendance, hours in the legislature, speeches, and words spoken should be part of an annually published report card on each official. This report card would be an interesting tool in the hands of voters at election time.
More sittings.
The legislatures are the cornerstones of democracy and should sit more often than they do. If people realized just how little their respective legislatures meet, more people would be aware of the erosion of our democracy. I purpose that each legislative house should sit for a minimum of 4 hours per day for all but 16 weeks per year.
More preparation time for prospective candidates.
It seems when an election is called, political parties scramble to nominate candidates and prepare campaigns. I believe political parties should be allowed to select candidates at any time before an election. Those candidates would be allowed to retain their regular jobs up until the time the writ is dropped without penalty. After the writ is dropped they should take a guaranteed leave of absence and be allowed to collect EI benefits. I believe more people would become involved and better and equitable candidates would be elected.
Government announcements should be made in the legislature.
Too often, in my opinion, major government announcements are made to press conferences with only limited questioning by reporters. Significant announcements should be made in the legislature and should be subject to debate.
“Trump Checker.”
During the Trump presidency, he blatantly uttered statements that were factually untrue regularly. To prevent a similar situation in Canada, we need an independent ombudsman department to call out any elected official who willfully attempts to mislead the public.
Make “Buying our vote,” more accountable.
Election promises should be tracked. Many candidates promise “the world” when running for office but seldom are they held to account for delivering on those promises. Every political party issues an election platform; I believe an independent ombudsman department should update the electorate annually on the progress of those platforms as a report card on the government.
“Oversight for to safeguard democracy.”
As an example, shortly after being elected, the Ontario Conservative Government arbitrarily and unilaterally halved the size of the Toronto City Council. Whenever an upper level of government changes the fundamental structure of a lower-tier government, the proceeding should be contingent on gaining a 2/3 majority in the upper tier’s legislature to ensure a broad base of support before being allowed to be implemented.
“Oversight to safeguard environmental protections.”
As with the previous point, any government that wants to lessen or remove existing environmental protections,” would require a 2/3 majority of their particular legislature. For example, the Ontario government’s desire to develop the provincially protected “green belt” would require a 2/3 majority of the provincial legislature to proceed.
“Oversight to prevent abuse of elections”.
The recent political opportunism displayed in the federal election of 2021 at a $600,000,000 cost to the electorate should not happen again. Any minority government that proposes a “snap” election should require a 2/3 majority vote of the legislature before being allowed to proceed.
Proroguing legislatures should be abolished.
If a government cannot keep the confidence of its house resorting to using proroguing as an artificial means to hold onto power, is an abuse of that power and circumvents democracy. Furthermore, if a minority government is defeated within 6 months of an election, then the party with the next highest number of seats should be allowed to form a new government before automatically calling another election.
Abolish the Senate.
Democracy should be lead by duly elected representatives of the people. Any unelected, non-judiciary group of appointed people has no place determining how any part of the country is governed.
Limit the use of the “Notwithstanding clause.”
In the case of Human Rights issues, no province should be able to circumvent rights enshrined in the constitution by just a simple majority. To proceed, legislatures would require a 2/3 majority to invoke the “notwithstanding” clause.
Wages for elected officials.
An independent body should set the cost of living increases for all levels of elected officials. Matching annual percentage increases would also have to be given to people on Employment Insurance, Provincial Welfare Programs, Old age Security, and Disability Pensions.
I am interested in democracy and accountability. Integrity and responsibility as well as equitable treatment of all people, including non-citizens should be applied equally in each part of this country. Regardless of electoral reform, the failure to safeguard and prevent erosion of our democratic institutions will make how we vote even less important.
Paul