Langley MP Mark Warawa has helped institute a small but significant reversal, making the House of Commons a slightly more democratic institution.
He has also ensured that MPs are able to represent their constituents, even when party managers go out of their way to try and prevent that.
Last week, House of Commons Speaker Andrew Scheer ruled that he will recognize MPs who try to catch his attention, in order to make members’ statements. He no longer will solely rely on lists of members allowed to speak — lists given to him by party whips.
Warawa had earlier been prevented from making a statement in the House of Commons on the controversy surrounding his attempt to bring forward a motion on sex selection. Party whip Gordon O’Connor refused to put his name on the list.
This effectively muzzled him — and could have been the last step in making MPs nothing but vote machines, acting on orders of the party leaders. If that was the case, we’d be better off with robots in the House of Commons, or dispensing with the institution altogether.
For far too long, the prime minister’s office and other party leaders have taken more and more power unto themselves. MPs have been disciplined, muzzled and kicked out of caucus, often for simply speaking up on issues that matter to their constituents.
John Nunziata was kicked out of the Liberal caucus by then-prime minister Jean Chretien for saying that the party ought to do what it campaigned on — get rid of the GST.
Bev Desjarlais was stripped of all responsibility and lost the NDP nomination, after defying Jack Layton’s orders and voting against same-sex marriage. It was a free vote in the House of Commons — but NDP members were whipped.
With Scheer’s ruling, Warawa stood up in the House of Commons and caught the speaker’s attention on Wednesday. Many reporters in the press gallery paid attention. Was Warawa going to rip the Conservative party, or take on the prime minister?
He fooled them all. He made a statement about Langley‘s Got Talent, the popular talent show which is heading for the final round.
But he had the right to make such a statement, without bowing to the PMO, the Conservative Party machine or the party whip. That’s a major victory for democracy.
