“Have Computer Will Write”~ Jeremy Arney Canada’s Parliamentary Process Under Attack Jeremy Arney, Victoria BC
There is no doubt that parliamentary process is being attacked in many ways, and this is just the latest way in which it is being shaped to be less democractic that it already has become. There are stories from long time NDP members how they were allowed to make amendments in committees under the Liberals and often they were adopted as being of benefit to the people of Canada,; Pat Martin of Winnipeg even mentioned it in a speech to the House last week. Today it is all about the Harper administration, nothing about the Canadian people, and so this move to restrict ALL MPs (and this is why they were all copied this letter) is so incredibly short sighted and arrogant and yes destructive to our law making process. I have included all the MPs emails at the bottom, so if any of you want to write to your MP about this or Scheer or encourage Elizabeth May.*
Subject: Report Stage of Bills. To: Scheer, Andrew <andrew.scheer@parl.gc.ca>
Mr Speaker, I am sure that you are well aware of the latest move to ensure that the rights of independent, or very small party, Members of Parliament to have a say on Bills in the House at the Report stage be restricted instead to written amendments to administration controlled committees. I quote from the source CBC News Politics section: “Elizabeth May leads new fight to protect rights of independent MPs - By Kady O'Malley, October 30, 2013: May, however, has already made it clear that she hasn't ruled out the possibility of filing a plea with House of Commons Speaker Andrew Scheer, who has previously ruled that the rights of independent members to exercise the right to put forward amendments must be protected -- although he has also concluded that the process proposed by the government is sufficient to protect that power.” [END OF QUOTE] I would argue that the process of insisting that any independent MPs must make their amendments in writing 24 hours prior to clause by clause at the committee stage, is exactly the opposite of them being able to exercise their rights to put forward amendments at the report stage; at report stage they would be unencum30 dialogue
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bered by badgering, hostile committee administration members who have absolutely no intention of either listening to them or allowing them time to make validation arguments for those amendments, because they intend to reject them anyway. I fail to see how you can even speculate that such an environment and method will ensure their rights, rather than just make it more expedient for the administration to speed up their process, whilst hiding any legitimate opposition or amendments behind closed doors therefore hiding them from the Canadian people. You can be sure that any amendments time in those committees will go ‘in camera’ hiding from everyone else anything beneficial to the country that any non adminstration MP is trying to do. I would also point out this taken from O’Brien & Bosc: “Report Stage - Once a bill has been examined in committee, it is considered again by the whole House. At this stage, called “report stage”, Members may, after giving written notice, propose amendments to the text of the bill as it was reported by the committee. Those motions are then debated.” What this means is that all MPs who are not on that specific committee have the right to make amendments at the Report stage, including any government backbencher if he/she so chooses, and so it is not only the independent MPs who are being attacked here, it is every MP who wishes to represent his/her constituents regardless of party affiliation. We already know that CPC MPs are not allowed to think independently for their constituents, and I suspect that the NDP and Liberal members also fall into the category of party first, but should ANY MP who was not on the committee, wish to make an amendment at report stage this latest administration move will obliterate their right to do so. My recommendation to you is to allow the committees to be as undemocratic as they have become and wish to remain, but do not allow that to prevent any MP, small party or not, from making amendments at the report stage and letting Canada, the Canadian people and their constituents know that they at least tried on their behalf. Might I remind you that this House does not belong to the current administration, but rather to the people www.dialogue.ca