UNDEMOCRATIC

The Mace, the golden staff that sits on the floor of the House of
Commons, is a hallowed symbol of democracy. MPs are forbidden even to
touch it, out of respect for our democratic institutions. On
Wednesday, I broke that tradition and hoisted the Mace into the air,
declaring "Parliament is not a democracy anymore." I took this
extreme step to draw attention to an unprecedented attack by the
government on the rights of every MP and every Canadian.

Just before I picked up the Mace, the government drove a stake
through the heart of private-member business by introducing a
poison-pill amendment to prevent a private member's bill I had
introduced from being freely voted upon by the House. The bill called
for the decriminalization -- not legalization -- of the simple
possession of marijuana. The bill, supported by a majority of MPs,
and by 70% of Canadians, could have saved lives and a great deal of
money in our justice system.

The government's poison-pill amendment is important because private
member business is the only time when MPs can vote freely. It is the
last area in Parliament where MPs can innovate and push ideas forward
for their constituents and country. It is the last bastion of
democracy in a House where committees are used as make-work projects
for MPs; where the legislative agenda bears no relevance to the
concerns of Canadians; where Cabinet ministers cannot innovate, for
fear of losing their jobs; and where MPs must vote according to the
dictates of their leaders, instead of the wishes of their
constituents.

Private member business has become a farce.

Since the last election, MPs from all parties have introduced 239
private member's bills. None has passed third reading, and only two
have made it to a vote after second reading. The cost is
extraordinary. Since the beginning of this session, 150 hours of
debate on private member business have taken place in the House,
costing taxpayers $45-million. The outcome of this effort is
absolutely nothing.

Indeed, MPs from all parties recognize how undemocratic Parliament
has become and have offered many substantive suggestions to rectify
the situation. The committee on House procedure, the PC-DRC and the
Canadian Alliance have all offered constructive solutions. I have
introduced seven motions and have written about this subject on
numerous occasions. All efforts to make our parliamentary system more
effective have gone unheeded.

I picked up the Mace on Wednesday to draw attention to a system that
is so undemocratic that MPs are now voting machines, with little
opportunity to work for the people. This is our most serious problem
in Canada today. If MPs cannot use their talents to fight for ideas
for the public good, then MPs truly are irrelevant. Canada is not a
democracy, Parliament cannot address the challenges we face, and we
will continue to have a government driven by polls, not public need.
If you have nearly 50% approval ratings, why rock the boat? Why do
anything substantive?

I do not regret violating a custom of the House. The Prime Minister's
Office violated the greatest right we have. It took away our right to
vote.

Unless the public wakes up to how our government has quietly
transformed our parliamentary democracy into a dictatorship, we will
not see solutions to the problems Canada faces. The result will be a
nation that is a pale shadow of what it could be. Shame.

Keith Martin, a medical doctor, is the Canadian Alliance MP for
Esquimalt-Juan de Fuca, B.C.