On February 6 2006 David Emerson, elected a mere two weeks earlier as a Liberal, walked into Rideau Hall to be sworn in as a Conservative cabinet minister in Stephen Harper's government. Adding insult to infamy the country quickly discovered that Emerson, forever a parachute candidate in Vancouver-Kingsway, had been in secret negotiations with the newly elected Harper government to switch parties less than 24 hours after the last votes were counted.

Citizens of all political stripes turned out into Vancouver's streets in anger and protest. Canadians from across the country voiced their opposition to what Emerson and Harper had done. We rightly felt as if our votes, indeed the votes of all Canadians, had been disrespected and devalued.

There ought to be a law.

Yesterday Don Davies, Member of Parliament for Vancouver--Kingsway stood in the House of Commons and introduced a bill to that end. Bill C-446 (2nd Session, 40th Parliament) would have forced David Emerson to run in a by-election and earn the right to represent our riding as a Conservative.

Of note:

27.1 (1) Any person holding a seat in the House of Commons who becomes a member of a registered party as defined in subsection 2(1) of the Canada Elections Act is deemed to have vacated the seat and ceases to be a member of the House if, in the last election, the person was endorsed by another registered party or was not endorsed by a registered party.

I like this bill. It effectively prohibits floor crossing, which is one key measure we had sought during the Campaign to De-Elect David Emerson. If a candidate runs and wins under one party banner, or as an independent, and then switches to another registered party, the MP should lose their seat and be forced to go to the electorate to try to earn a fresh mandate.

Minutes of Mr. Davies' appeal to the House from Hansard:

Mr. Don Davies (Vancouver Kingsway, NDP) moved for leave to introduce Bill C-446, An Act to amend the Parliament of Canada Act (members who cross the floor).

He said: Mr. Speaker, three years ago, in Vancouver Kingsway, a member of Parliament was elected as a Liberal and crossed the floor to sit as a Conservative two weeks after that election.

Our citizens were outraged. They regarded this as an act of democratic betrayal. It rendered their votes meaningless. People from every political persuasion joined together to demand the restoration of their democratic rights. People like Mike Watkins, Jurgen Claudepierre and Shannon Steele worked tirelessly for this noble goal.

I am honoured to rise today to introduce a piece of legislation that serves to restore respect for democracy in our country.

This bill would require any member who crosses the floor to resign and run in a byelection. It would put the actions of a floor-crossing member to the test of the will of the voters of his or her constituency, where it properly belongs. In a time when voters are increasingly cynical, I believe this would go some way towards restoring confidence in our political system.

I hope that all members of this House put their partisan interests aside and support this law. It is good for our democracy. It is good for our country.

See: Bill C-446

Bravo Don.