The cornerstone of Prime Minister Paul Martin’s new government – democratic reform – was unveiled in the House of Commons by the Minister whose job it is to ensure that MPs and Canadians feel more connected to the national decision-making process.

February 04, 2004
Ottawa, Ontario

Strategy aims to reconnect MPs and Canadians with the political process

Click here to view the Action Plan for Democratic Reform

The cornerstone of Prime Minister Paul Martin’s new government – democratic reform – was unveiled in the House of Commons by the Minister whose job it is to ensure that MPs and Canadians feel more connected to the national decision-making process.

Democratic Reform Action Plan is aimed at returning the House of Commons to a national citizens’ forum where Parliamentarians have the freedom to voice their concerns – and, more importantly, those of the people who elected them.

Heralded as the first step in bolstering democracy in Canada, the Government House Leader and Democratic Reform Minister Jacques Saada tabled a multi-point plan that will raise the standard of ethics and integrity in government, restore the role of all MPs in national debate, and increase the accountability of elected officials in public office.

“Democratic reform is critical to providing Canadians with more responsive and more effective government,” wrote Prime Minister Martin in the document’s opening message.

“For this to happen we must re-connect Parliament to Canadians and renew the capacity of Parliamentarians – from all parties – to shape policy and legislation.”

The long-anticipated strategy is consistent with a pledge by the prime minister to take power out of the PMO and give it back to Parliamentarians so that they can have a constructive role in the national debate on policy.

More specifically, the document outlined that the government will re-introduce legislation to create an office of an Independent Ethics Commission and a Senate Ethics Officer, and then adopt a series of codes and conducts to support them. The government will also table new rules that will help MPs avoid conflict-of-interest situations.

Starting with the first legislation that goes to vote this session, the shackles of party discipline will be loosened, according to the blueprint. A new three-line voting system for MPs to ensure that Members will have much greater freedom to voice their views and those of their constituents and to encourage Ministers to exercise coalition-building..

The role of Parliamentary Committees will be expanded to better influence national debate, including a plan to send government bills to committees before second reading in order to have greater MP input into the final draft. This means that committees, that had limited capacity to propose amendments and improvements, will play a bigger role in shaping legislation. Further, MPs will get a say in the committees they sit on, and then will be given more resources to do their jobs in this regard. Also, the Standing Orders will be permanently changed to allow for the secret ballot election of committee chairs. Finally, the government aims to create a new National Security Committee, whose members will be sworn-in as Privy Councillors so they can be briefed on national security issues.

In addition, the role of the Estimates Committee, whose job it is to ensure accountability of public resources, will be modernized so that it has all the necessary powers and resources to keep the government in check.

The action plan outlines the government’s intention to seek recommendations from Committees of which Governor in Council appointments would be subject to review by Parliament before appointments are made and this plan also announces the government’s intentions to consult with the appropriate parliamentary committees on how best to implement the prior review of Supreme Court of Canada Judges appointments.

The action plan of democratic reform recognizes that modernizing the House of Commons is a dynamic process, and that ongoing consultation with Canadians will be required to continue bringing about meaningful change.

To achieve this, Minister Saada will table an annual report in the House of Commons that will outline the progress made on these new initiatives, as well as report on the results of the consultations and propose new ways to expand the action plan.

Click here to view the Action Plan for Democratic Reform