Politics

Reform Act 2.0

Michael Chong tables a new version of the Reform Act

As foreshadowed here and here, Michael Chong has now tabled a second version of the Reform Act, which can be viewed here. And here is a backgrounder on the bill from Mr. Chong’s office.

From that backgrounder, here is the gist of the changes.

… the Reform Act, 2014 differs from the Reform Act, 2013 in two respects. First, instead of a locally elected nomination officer in each EDA, there would be one nomination officer in each province, and one for the three territories. The nomination officer in each province or the territories would be elected by the chief executive officers (presidents) of the EDAs for the party in that province or the territories. The nomination officer would be elected by secret ballot and would be elected to a term of not more than four years. The nomination officer may seek re-election for one or more terms. The Reform Act, 2014 also provides a mechanism for the review of the nomination officer. Written notice, signed by at least 20 per cent of the chief executive officers of the EDAs in that province or the territories, would be required to initiate the review. A majority of the chief executive officers of the EDAs for the party in that province or the territories would be required to remove the nomination officer.

Second, the Reform Act, 2014 would maintain the current power of the party leader to de-register an EDA. This provides a mechanism for recourse external to the EDA in the event of irregularities or non-compliance with party policy.

… the Reform Act, 2014 increases the threshold to initiate these votes from 15 to 20 per cent. It also defines a majority vote, required to remove the caucus chair or to expel the caucus member, as that of the entire caucus and not just those caucus members present at the vote. The Reform Act, 2014 also increases the threshold, from 15 to 20 per cent, to initiate a vote to re-admit a member expelled from caucus. Re-admission is approved by a majority of the members of the caucus present at the vote, rather than a majority of the caucus.

… the Reform Act, 2014 differs from the Reform Act, 2013 in three respects. First, the Reform Act, 2014 increases the threshold to initiate a review vote of the party leader from 15 to 20 per cent. Second, the bill mandates that the caucus chair make public the names of those caucus members requesting the vote. Third, the bill defines a majority vote in a review as that of the entire caucus rather than just those caucus members present at the vote. In other words, it would require a majority of all caucus members to remove the leader. Together, these three changes increase the difficulty in initiating a review and removing the leader. In addition, the bill would put the rules for the review and removal of the party leader in the Parliament of Canada Act, rather than the Canada Elections Act.

Looking for more?

Get the Best of Maclean's sent straight to your inbox. Sign up for news, commentary and analysis.
  • By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy. You may unsubscribe at any time.