Pubdate: Wed, 05 Jan 2000 Source: National Post (Canada) Copyright: 2000 Southam Inc. Contact: 300 - 1450 Don Mills Road, Don Mills, Ontario M3B 3R5 Fax: (416) 442-2209 Website: http://www.nationalpost.com/ Forum: http://forums.canada.com/~canada Author: Sheldon Alberts, National Post Note: Towards the end of this item "The other, equally controversial issue, concerns a proposal to legalize marijuana." RADICAL DEMOCRACY ON UA'S AGENDA Final Policy Proposal: Resolution Would Bind Mps To The Will Of Their Constituents OTTAWA - Reformers and Tories planning to launch a new conservative political party are considering a controversial policy that would virtually eliminate party discipline by obliging MPs to always vote the views of their constituents -- above conflicting personal or partisan beliefs. Delegates to this month's United Alternative convention will be asked to endorse a resolution that would make it an MP's "responsibility" to side with clear public opinion in their riding "over party or personal views" -- an idea that bucks Canadian parliamentary tradition and which critics say would turn federal politicians into non-thinking voting machines. The proposal, included in the final Declaration of Policy to be debated at the Jan. 27-29 UA convention in Ottawa, has caused so much disagreement among organizers that they have included a second, less restrictive proposal. It would give MPs in a new party the discretion or "freedom" to follow the party line or vote their personal conscience on major issues. "There is a huge debate within Reform and within the UA movement about the proper role for an MP," said a conference organizer, who requested anonymity. "What we need to sort out on the floor of the convention, as a wonderful spectacle for everybody watching, is whether an MP is obliged to follow their constituents' wishes when there is a divergence of views between the party whip, the party line and the voters." The National Post yesterday obtained a copy of the final UA policy proposals, which are being mailed to about 1,000 delegates this week. The delegates will decide at the convention whether to create a new right-wing party through a formal merger with the Reform party of Canada. The idea that MPs should not be blindly loyal to the party line has been a central plank in Reform policy for years. The party's 1997 Blue Book policy bible states that Reform MPs must vote with their party caucus except on designated issues of personal conscience or unless they can demonstrate that a majority of constituents oppose the party position. In practice, Reformers have largely voted as a block on issues designated by the government as free votes, with even more conformity than the Liberals. But many Reform MPs -- particularly those who have opposed Preston Manning, the leader, in his attempts to initiate the UA and launch a new party -- have begun to bristle recently over the imposition of party discipline. An initial draft of the UA policy document released in September did not include any reference to voting rules for MPs. That was added after Reformers raised the issue during public meetings last fall. While some UA organizers believe fervently in the supremacy of constituents, another group believes just as strongly that MPs must be allowed to use personal discretion when voting on major issues. They argue it is almost impossible -- or at least prohibitively expensive -- for members of Parliament to accurately determine the will of constituents on complicated legislation. "What you really want to do is reinforce the MPs' freedom to use his or her judgment ... So you give them the freedom to depart from the party line, weighing constituent wishes and the party platform against each other to come up with a position," the UA source said. The issue of MP voting rules is one of only two substantive additions to the United Alternative policy proposals since the draft version was released last fall. The other, equally controversial issue, concerns a proposal to legalize marijuana. The "optional" policy resolution states that a United Alternative party would "investigate the advisability of decriminalizing possession and use of marijuana by adults." The UA policy committee -- headed by Diane Ablonczy, a Calgary MP, and Kevyn Nightingale, a Toronto Tory fundraiser -- "supports the proposal as worded." But the policy declaration includes a footnote that says organizers held "strongly differing opinions" about the merits of supporting legalization. The bulk of the policy document sticks close to Reform policy, with slight variations. It calls for: - - Mandated balanced budgets, legislated paydown of the $570-billion federal debt and an amendment to the Charter of Rights to include private property rights. - - Immediate reductions in personal income tax. - - Reform to the health-care system to allow Canadians "greater freedom of choice" in medical treatment and facilities. - - An elected Senate with additional changes that includes the "distribution of Senate seats on an equal basis" following negotiations with the provinces. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake