NDP promises co-operation on new election reform bill

Opposition says Tories must pull back proposed legislation and start fresh

OTTAWA— The New Democrats are striking a more co-operative tone on the Conservatives’ controversial electoral reform bill, asking Democratic Reform Minister Pierre Poilievre to work with them on a new reform package.

In a letter to be sent Thursday, MP Craig Scott (Toronto-Danforth) asks Poilievre to withdraw Bill C-23 and “start fresh” with opposition parties and independent MPs through the summer to draft new legislation.

“Taking a collective step back and starting fresh would be welcomed by Canadians,” wrote Scott, the NDP’s democratic reform critic.

“With a new start, I am hopeful that much could be achieved that would help restore Canadians’ faith in the fairness of our elections and in Parliament as an institution. If, on the other hand, we do not start fresh, I believe the damage to public trust will be long-lasting and close to irreparable.”

The NDP’s proposal comes days after Poilievre signalled he was open to some amendments on the contentious bill, which has been almost universally criticized by expert testimony in House of Commons and Senate committees.

The amendments currently on the table, recommended by a Conservative-dominated Senate committee, do little to quell critics concerns.

Both the New Democrats and the Liberals have said that they want the bill scrapped outright. The debate has been heated and, at times, very personal.

There has been little sign on either side of the Commons of a willingness to work together since the bill was tabled in February.

It’s also not clear what degree of compromise would be considered by the opposition.

“That emerges in the discussion, including whether or not in true dialogue we get persuaded that some of the concerns can be mitigated or don’t need to be concerns,” Scott said.

But Scott said that there are measures in the bill that the NDP support, including the creation of a robocalls registry and tougher punishments for rule breakers. But there’s much they don’t, including:

Removing “vouching,” where one voter with acceptable identification can vouch for the identity of another, which Elections Canada warned could disenfranchise as many as 120,00 Canadians.

Restricting the chief electoral officer’s public communications to how, when and where to vote, which removes Elections Canada’s mandate to encourage voter turnout.

Creating a loophole that allows parties to spend unlimited amounts soliciting money from former donors during an election period.

Splitting the commissioner of elections, who investigates Elections Act breaches, from Elections Canada and moving the office to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.

The NDP have begun publicly asking Conservative backbenchers to join their opposition of the bill. Scott believes the only way the government would consider starting over on the bill is if they hear concerns from within.

“If a number of Conservative MPs in tandem let the minister know that they think it’s a good idea . . . if enough Conservative colleagues tell him they think it’s reasonable, then the answer might turn out to be yes,” Scott said, before adding he doesn’t “expect an immediate yes.”