Edmonton MP Brent Rathgeber quit the federal Conservative caucus on Thursday. He said backbenchers were becoming “trained seals.”
Photo Credit: PC / Jason Franson/Canadian Press

Restrict power of political party leaders, say poll respondents

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Leaders of political parties in Canada have more power than party leaders in any other democracy worldwide and Canadians want new laws to limit that, says the educational foundation, Your Canada, Your Constitution. Just last week a conservative member of parliament quit his party saying government backbenchers had become “trained seals” that carry out the wishes of unelected officials in the prime minister’s office.

Several other conservative backbenchers have recently complained that they are not allowed to raise questions in the House of Commons without prior approval from the prime minister’s office and that they are obliged to vote along party lines rather than in a way that best represents their constituents.

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Duff Conacher, co-ordinator, Your Canada, Your Constitution, says Canadian political party leaders have more power than those in any other democracy.

MPs a misnomer, says activist

“We call them members of parliament and the acronym we use in Canada is MP,” said Duff Conacher, co-ordinator of Your Canada, Your Constitution, “…but really it should be a different acronym. It should be MPE, members of the party leader’s entourage because that’s really how they act—like an entourage just following the leader.”

Consolidation of power by party leaders has been growing over the last 40 years at both the provincial and federal levels of government said Conacher. Governing party leaders have the power to shut down parliament, call elections when they choose, control riding associations to the point that they often control who gets to run for office in any given electoral district, and they oblige MPs to vote along party lines or be turned out of the party altogether.

Majority want legal restrictions on powers

71 per cent of Canadians want legal restrictions on party leaders’ powers to give more freedom and power to ordinary politicians, according to a public opinion survey commissioned by Your Canada, Your Constitution. 20 per cent did not want such restrictions and 9 per cent did not answer.

Most democracies like Britain, Australia and New Zealand limit the power of party leaders, said Conacher. They do not have legal or other powers to control how politicians in their party vote or who can be a candidate in the next election.

Liberal Party Leader Justin Trudeau has promised to open nominations in all ridings and not appoint candidates and to free PPs to vote against Cabinet with very few exceptions. But he did not proposed any laws to require such democratic reforms. Conacher thinks legal restrictions are necessary in order to oblige all parties to become more democratic.

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