NDP MP Don Davies says he’ll introduce a bill to ban MPs from crossing the floor without first getting the support of voters in an attempt to clamp down on the type of defections that have bolstered Prime Minister Mark Carney’s benches in recent months and helped the Liberals secure a majority.
In a brief statement on Monday, Davies, the party’s parliamentary leader, said his proposed bill would require members of Parliament who wish to join another party to first obtain consent from their constituents through a byelection or sit as an Independent until the next general election.
While opposition MPs’ legislation, known as private member’s bills, rarely pass, they can draw attention to issues. Davies sits at number 236 in the private members’ bill draw, meaning it won’t be debated anytime soon.
He’s scheduled to talk more about his proposed legislation on Tuesday, as Parliament enters the final push before summer break.
It’s been an extraordinary sitting that saw four Conservative MPs — southwest Ontario’s Marilyn Gladu, Alberta’s Matt Jeneroux, the Greater Toronto Area’s Michael Ma and Nova Scotia’s Chris d’Entremont — and former NDP MP Lori Idlout, who represents Nunavut, join Carney’s caucus.
Floor-crossing is a political practice as old as Confederation with both Liberals and Conservatives taking part. But polls suggest Canadians have a mixed view when politicians switch parties between elections.
Last week, NDP Leader Avi Lewis backed the party’s long-held stance against floor-crossing.
“We believe in the democratic will of the people. So if you want to change parties, that’s no problem. You resign, you run in a byelection and you run for another party,” he said, responding to a question about whether he would invite Steven Guilbeault to join the party.
The longtime environmentalist announced Wednesday he would resign as a Liberal MP this summer.
“We have a number of byelections coming up … he would be welcome if he resigned from the Liberal Party to seek the nomination as an NDP candidate in any of the ridings across the country,” said Lewis.
“But floor-crossing is not what we do. That’s what the Liberals do.”
This is not Davies’s first attempt at amending the Parliament of Canada Act to force floor-crossers to seek re-election under their new party’s banner. Previous attempts have failed to become law.
Conservative MPs have in the past voted against that legislation. During an April news conference, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre was asked if he would vote differently now. He said that would be a decision for caucus.
The Conservative leader has said he personally supports recall petitions — a way for constituents to remove a representative if they garner enough local support.
“When a member of Parliament goes back on the word they made to their constituents and switches parties, constituents should be able to petition to throw them out and have a byelection,” he said at the time.
