NDP MP Looks to ban MP floor crossing

[Praxius]

As it is now, you as a voter know the rules the guy your electing has at his discrection.
It's your responsiblity to make sure the guy your electing carries out your expectations.

Don't have the Government make a bunch of silly laws just so you don't have to take any responsibility.

Beyond voting and moaning, how would you suggest someone accomplish this?

In this limited democracy we live in, the only say we have as citizens of this nation is our vote during elections... everything else is out of our hands and we can only hope those we voted for do what we expect them to do..... thus even when the MP we voted for jumps ship and goes to another party.... how do we stop them from doing this? How do we prevent our vote suddenly going to another political party we do not support??

And hoping those we elected do what we expected of them & doesn't cross the floor isn't much of an assurance that they will.... you make this wonderful claim about us voters being responsible in making sure the guy we're electing carries out our expectations, yet unless you can tell me how we can read their minds, predict the future and actually have some level of control over our MP's in that we ourselves can force our MP's to stay where they are and do the job we expected of them, we can't.

And if your answer is "hoping" the person you elected is honest and sticks to their election promises & ideals, then that's not good enough.

Hey, it's NOT a problem!!

How many MP's have crossed the floor in the last 4 yrs.???

NDP want a law to a problem that does not exist!!

Typical NDP!

How many?

Take a look at the link I previously provided...... how many?

A hell of a lot actually.

57 from 2000 - 2011..... 14 have crossed the floor in the last 4 years.

You asked.

 

[Retired_Can_Soldier]

I don't understand why anyone would endorse floor crossing. It serves only one individual, the politician.

 

[Praxius]

Like I said, it's not a problem and typical of small people to get all wrapped up in minior issues that have no consquences.

Small? Please tell me what you mean by small.

Like you said, it's not a problem..... like I said: says you.

It does have consequences because once an MP crosses the floor, all of their promises during the election are now null & void and there is no assuance that they can or will represent the interests you have that were supposed to be supported by your vote for that individual.

This will never become law anytime soon and anybody who thinks it should does not understand politics let alone how our country operates !!

Again, says you...... Peter, whom presented this proposal, knows very well how our government runs, he's been in politics for a number of years and I'd be safe to wager that he knows more about our politics then you do.

We'll soon see whether or not this passes.

 

[Retired_Can_Soldier]

Durry is your opposition to this based on the fact that the NDP is proposing it?

 

[Durry]

Durry is your opposition to this based on the fact that the NDP is proposing it?

No, my opposition is based on the fact that the way it is right now is working just fine, not perfect, but acceptable.

Furthermore, there are also some advantages to floor crossings which is not being mentioned here. One of the advantages is that it sends a signal to the party leader that he must listen to his carcass, he cannot rule unilaterally, otherwise he (the leader) will lose his MP's. In some ways it prevents the leaders from becoming mini dictators!

Our system of Government is not perfect, can never perfect, and we must always seek the delicate balances that keeps our system working for all of us !!

 

[Cliffy]

No, my opposition is based on the fact that the way it is right now is working just fine, not perfect, but acceptable.

Furthermore, there are also some advantages to floor crossings which is not being mentioned here. One of the advantages is that it sends a signal to the party leader that he must listen to his carcass, he cannot rule unilaterally, otherwise he (the leader) will lose his MP's. In some ways it prevents the leaders from becoming mini dictators!

Our system of Government is not perfect, can never perfect, and we must always seek the delicate balances that keeps our system working for all of us !!

What we have is Harper who won't let his people speak without his approval, who acts unilaterally and otherwise, doesn't listen to his "carcass", making him a mini dictator. I wonder what kind of hold he has on his "carcass" that they are afraid to cross the floor?

 

[Durry]

What we have is Harper who won't let his people speak without his approval, who acts unilaterally and otherwise, doesn't listen to his "carcass", making him a mini dictator. I wonder what kind of hold he has on his "carcass" that they are afraid to cross the floor?

Your making my point, whatever hold he has on them, the one option they have if they feel Harpers policies do not reflect theirs ( and the policies they may have run on) is to cross the floor to another party that better reflects his polices.

Hence, keep things as they are now!!

 

[petros]

Mine the floor. Bouncing bettys or snipers up in the peanut gallery.

 

[Retired_Can_Soldier]

No, my opposition is based on the fact that the way it is right now is working just fine, not perfect, but acceptable.

Furthermore, there are also some advantages to floor crossings which is not being mentioned here. One of the advantages is that it sends a signal to the party leader that he must listen to his carcass, he cannot rule unilaterally, otherwise he (the leader) will lose his MP's. In some ways it prevents the leaders from becoming mini dictators!

Our system of Government is not perfect, can never perfect, and we must always seek the delicate balances that keeps our system working for all of us !!

Nobody is saying that a member can't quit their party and. It most certainly is not working to the advantage of the voter.

If a member feels the need to leave their party and cross the floor they should consult with the people who put them there.

 

[Praxius]

Your making my point, whatever hold he has on them, the one option they have if they feel Harpers policies do not reflect theirs ( and the policies they may have run on) is to cross the floor to another party that better reflects his polices.

Hence, keep things as they are now!!

It is acceptable if they wish to drop from a party and go independent, but not when they jump to another party because they don't like how their party is doing things.... if they don't like that, then they can leave the party at the next election (or shortly before the next election) and run under a different banner at that time.

Another option is for the MP in question to actually ask their constituents & get a poll going, asking if those who voted for them will accept them going to another party between elections, citing their reasons & justifications why.

 

[Durry]

If a member feels the need to leave their party and cross the floor they should consult with the people who put them there.

Well how do you know he doesn't do this? I assume the ones that want to be re-elected would do this, unofficially. We don't need a law to have elected people do the right thing.

Another option is for the MP in question to actually ask their constituents & get a poll going, asking if those who voted for them will accept them going to another party between elections, citing their reasons & justifications why.

See my reply above .

 

[Retired_Can_Soldier]

Well how do you know he doesn't do this? I assume the ones that want to be re-elected would do this, unofficially. We don't need a law to have elected people do the right thing.

You can't possibly be that naive.:roll:

 

[Praxius]

Well how do you know he doesn't do this? I assume the ones that want to be re-elected would do this, unofficially. We don't need a law to have elected people do the right thing.

------------------

See my reply above .

If our politicians always did the right thing, we wouldn't require half of the restrictions and regulations within our government in the first place..... the reality is that your claim that we don't need a law to have elected people do the right thing is a bit..... off.

If they don't do the right thing, even when what they should do would be common sense, it is only logical to make laws, rules & regulations to make sure they do.

It's no different then any other job...... If I don't like my job or the way my company runs things, I can quit and then look for another job.... I can't just walk away without any notice, jump onto another competitor and take all my contracts with me without expecting some sort of backlash from my previous employer such as not giving me my last pay or even a lawsuit, nor should I expect my clients to not have an issue of me jumping to another company which will probably do things differently, charge them differently, have different deadlines, have completely different ideals & processes, etc. etc...... especially without their consent beforehand.

They were with my previous employer not just because I was working there, I represented their interests in a particular project and they liked me..... I worked under my employer's/company's name. I might have brought in the client, I might have done everything to please them and keep them as a client...... but they're not my clients, they're my employer's.

Same thing applies to political parties. Regardless of what others may think, most people vote based on the political party, their principles, and the person representing that party in their community & their record..... those votes are not exclusively that MP's and thus, they shouldn't have the freedom to piss off to some other party and taking our votes with them to that other party without our approval first.

As an example, I voted for the representative of the NDP in my riding..... I didn't vote Liberal or Conservative or Green, I voted NDP..... Then suddenly they take off and turn Liberal..... now my vote became a vote for Liberals without my consent.

So what's the solution?

Should I now vote for a Conservative in my riding and hope they switch to NDP after the fact?

Or Liberal?

I noticed you avoided my previous questions, and my answer towards your question about how many crossed the floor in the last 4 years.

 

[JLM]

I wholeheartedly agree with Peter Stoffer. If you are voted in as a specific party member and decide you want to change party's you should have to step down and run a new election campaign.

Absolutely- I detest these political wh*res, David Emerson and Belinda Stronich being recent examples.

 

[Cliffy]

Absolutely- I detest these political wh*res, David Emerson and Belinda Stronich being recent examples.

Seems to me that today a person would have to prostitute themselves to get into politics in the first place. First you have to sell yourself to your financial backers and then to the public. Perhaps they should install a red light over the from door of parliament.

 

[cranky]

well, with our current system, we claim to elect the MP, not the party, so the MP can darned well do whatever he likes, then be held accountable at the polls the next time he seeks re-election. It works for some of them, and doesn't for others.

I am not a fan of whipped votes. If we didn't have whipped votes, then we wouldn't have a reduced need for a person to cross the floor, so I would have no problems putting a stop to both practises at the same time.

 

[JLM]

Seems to me that today a person would have to prostitute themselves to get into politics in the first place. First you have to sell yourself to your financial backers and then to the public. Perhaps they should install a red light over the from door of parliament.

Which would probably be one of the better things they do while in politics. :lol:

 

[petros]

That is one of things that was proof to me that both left and right one in the same. Last election I think it was Strahl who went from Libs to Cons strictly becaue of his work with SPP and NAFTA.

David Lee Emerson,[2] PC
(born September 17, 1945, in Montreal, Quebec) is a Canadian politician,
businessman and civil servant.

Emerson is a former Member of Parliament for the riding
of Vancouver Kingsway. He was first elected as a Liberal and served as Minister
of Industry under Prime Minister Paul Martin.

After controversially crossing the floor to join Stephen
Harper's Conservatives, he served as Minister of International Trade and
Minister for the Pacific Gateway and the Vancouver-Whistler Olympics, followed
by Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Why was it so important that Harper needed this particular LIBERAL to keep doing what he was doing in regards to the Pacific Gateway and the inland port system being set up in Regina and Winnipeg?

Weren't any of the Cons smart enough to take on the task?

Emerson was the gravy maker taking it up the ass from the Globalists?

How do you like that gravy and cheese on your poutine?

 

[JLM]

Why was it so important that Harper needed this particular LIBERAL to keep doing what he was doing in regards to the Pacific Gateway and the inland port system being set up in Regina and Winnipeg?

Weren't any of the Cons smart enough to take on the task?

Emerson was the gravy maker taking it up the ass from the Globalists?

How do you like that gravy and cheese on your poutine?

It was so important that Harper needed this particular Liberal to increase his number of seats. I don't blame Harper, he's just the "madam" :lol:

 

[petros]

Oh no no no. It wasn't the seats. It was what he was doing in regards to the rape and pillage of Canadian resources and formation of a North American zone like the EU.

They just turned soil a couple days ago on what many hassled me over as a "conspiracy theory" in regards to the NAFTA freight and highway system being established albeit very quietly and cautiously.

Just wait until Albertans and those in SK learn about the slurry pipelines to US refineries so they can cook off the bitumen and kerogen (oil sands and oil shales) all over the continent.