The decline of Canada’s democracy did not start with the election of the Harper government. All parties share responsibility for the broad trends of recent decades. However, since 2006 the decline has accelerated.

Mr. Harper shut down Parliament twice in a year to avoid accountability. His government fired, forced out or harassed the heads of arms-length government agencies. And senior Conservatives have issued warnings to non-governmental organizations not to diverge from the government’s ideological agenda. They ended the mandatory long-form census, ignoring the unified opposition of an unprecedented array of volunteer, faith-based, business, academic and official language representatives. The government’s systemic delays have undermined both the spirit and letter of the Access to Information law. Conservative ministers have ignored the will of Parliament repeatedly, misled it and withheld vital information from it and from the public. Conservatives also actively sabotaged the proceedings of Parliamentary committees on numerous occasions. Four members of Stephen Harper’s inner circle are facing jail time if convicted of charges for electoral fraud to get around spending limits. His former Chief of Staff, who previously served time in prison, is under investigation for influence peddling. And the Harper government – the first in Canadian history – has been found in contempt of Parliament for withholding basic financial information about its spending priorities: stealth fighter jets, US-style mega-prisons and corporate tax cuts. Harper Conservatives think they’re above the rules of our democracy.

Liberals propose to engage all parties in Parliament and the Canadian people in a sustained effort to rebuild trust, respect and a meaningful connection between our democratic institutions and the people they serve.

A Liberal government will lead a democratic renewal with a wide-ranging, three-part plan designed to:

• Create an “Open Government”;
• Work with all parties to fix our hyper-partisan Parliament; and,
• Develop an internet voting option to modernize elections.

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We have talked about our country in coffee shops, backyards, church basements, union halls, and legion halls. When Stephen Harper shut down Parliament, Liberals held two dozen public roundtables on Parliament Hill to air views on important policy issues.

At the “Canada at 150” conference in Montreal, we used internet technology to connect more than 30,000 participants and 72 satellite meetings across the country in a three-day discussion about Canada’s future. Liberal Party members held workshops in every region. We spent the summer of 2010 travelling on the Liberal Express bus, meeting with Canadians in 112 communities. We followed that up taking questions from all comers at “Open mike” townhalls throughout the fall and winter.

We believe this has been the broadest and most open exercise ever undertaken by a Canadian political party – doing public policy in public.

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Furthermore, all Access to Information requests and responses will be posted online.

This new presumption of openness will also drive a new level of accountability for public finances. We will establish a searchable, online database for grants, contributions and contracts.

All levels of government, civil society, researchers, business and the public must have access to independent and reliable statistics and demographic information to make informed decisions and develop sound public policy to benefit all Canadians. Therefore, a Liberal government will restore the mandatory long form census.

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Under a Liberal government, new restrictions will be placed on Prime Ministerial power, particularly by placing procedural limitations on the prime minister’s power to prorogue.

Liberals believe that all parties must act to increase the civility and substance of Question Period. Many observers believe a model closer to that of the British Parliament would be better, with more time for both questions and answers, scheduled themes and rosters of required ministers, and a weekly Prime Minister’s question period (though the Prime Minister should still be expected to attend all days possible). A Liberal government will advance such reform in Parliament.

Even further innovation is possible, deploying internet technology to involve Canadians directly. Under a Liberal government, all Canadians will be able to participate in People’s Question Period, where the Prime Minister and Ministers will respond directly to unscripted, user-generated questions online. Ministers’ participation in the weekly online question and answer session will be rotated and as Prime Minister, Michael Ignatieff would participate at least monthly in the online People’s Question Period to answer citizens’ questions unfiltered by political parties or the media.

Standing Committees have suffered from excessive partisanship and manipulation. Liberals propose that standing committees be tasked more widely to dig deeply into major issues before policy decisions are taken or legislation is introduced. In addition, “Committee of the Whole” should be used more frequently to subject Ministers individually to wide-ranging questioning for an extended period in the House of Commons. Furthermore, recent events have demonstrated the need yet again for a new Standing Committee on National Security. Our major NATO allies have had such committees in place for decades and its existence would have prevented the controversy over Afghan detainee documents from reaching a time-consuming deadlock.

In addition to these specific changes, restoring civility and substance to Parliament will require leadership. Under a Liberal government, the Prime Minister will convene regular face-to-face meetings of all party leaders to take stock of the tone of Parliamentary debate, productivity in the conduct of the people’s business, and the mandates for in-depth work by standing committees.

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The internet is revolutionizing many facets of life for most Canadians. It is time to harness its power to bring electoral participation closer to citizens. A Liberal government will direct Elections Canada to develop an online voting option, starting with a pilot project for individuals serving overseas in the Canadian Armed Forces and the federal public service, and post-secondary students living outside their home ridings. The pilot will support a broader discussion with Canadians about an online voting option for every voter.

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