Q & A Session With The Hon. Steven Fletcher, Minister of State for Democratic Reform
10 September 2010 | Lobbying
This week I had a question and answer session by email with the Hon. Steven Fletcher, Minister of State for Democratic Reform, on the federal Government's democratic reform agenda for the upcoming session of Parliament.
My first question was regarding the changes to the Lobbying Act (Canada) that would extend the definition of "designated public office holder" to all MPs, Senators, and “exempt” staff in the Office of the Leader of the Opposition in the House of Commons and the Office of the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate. I asked Mr. Fletcher when these changes would be implemented. According to Mr. Fletcher, pre-publication of draft regulations to implement these changes were announced on 7 August 2010, and these regulations are expected to come into force on 20 September 20 2010.
Next, I asked Mr. Fletcher about the Government's priorities with respect to the five legislative initiatives related to democratic reform which are currently at first reading stage. Mr. Fletcher commented that the March 2010 Speech from the Throne made it a priority to address the under-representation of Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia by bringing fairer representation in the House of Commons to faster growing provinces, introduce legislation to increase voter participation and pursue measures to make the Senate a more democratic, effective and accountable Senate. Look for these initiatives to be on Parliament's agenda if a fall election does not get in the way.
Asked if the Government has any other initiatives planned regarding democratic reform planned, Mr. Fletcher replied that the Government remains committed to strengthening the ethical standards in Parliament by creating a single ethics officer for the House of Commons and the Senate.
Lastly, I asked Mr. Fletcher about the planned UK referendum on electoral system reform, and what impact that referendum may have on Canada. Mr. Fletcher noted that three provinces have held referendums on electoral reform and Canadians voted against changing the current voting system. Mr. Fletcher reiterated that the Government has introduced reforms that would increase voting opportunities and move Canada closer to the principle of representation by population, but it does not appear that the Government has any plans at this point to reform the electoral system.