MARTIN MAKES HIS POINT

When Keith Martin breached parliamentary decorum by grabbing the ceremonial
mace in the House of Commons last week, he did it because he had a point to
make.

The Canadian Alliance MP for Esquimalt-Juan de Fuca picked up the
ceremonial mace last Wednesday after the Liberals killed his private
member's bill, calling for the decriminalization of marijuana, by
introducing what is known as a poison pill amendment.

Martin says picking up the ceremonial mace was a calculated move which he
planned ahead of time.

A group of fellow MPs followed Martin out of the House after he grabbed the
mace - something which he points out was also planned.

"The reason why I picked up the mace is to really draw attention to how
undemocratic Parliament has become," he says. "I thought about it for a
long time. Unfortunately, sometimes you have to do something dramatic to
bring home an issue and draw attention to an issue that is fundamental to
our ability to solve problems in our country."

The mace is essentially a long club.

During an earlier period in British history, when Parliament was a more
action-packed place, the mace was actually used to physically protect the
Speaker from being assaulted. The mace now only has a symbolic role.

Martin notes the last time an MP touched the mace was in 1991.

Martin says he's explored every avenue possible (including private member's
bills) while following the rules, in an attempt to bring innovative
solutions to problems faced by Canadians, without any luck.

While picking up the ceremonial mace was planned, Martin says he apologized
to the House Speaker out of respect.

"But I also said that the reason why I did this was to draw attention to
the lack of democracy in Canada which is a much more serious offence than
picking up the mace. The mace, as a symbol democracy, has no value if the
government is not willing to respect democracy," he explains.

Martin says the Liberals' unprecedented use of the poison pill amendment
essentially "drives a stake through the heart of private member's business".

By preventing a private member's bill from being voted on the federal
Liberals have set a "dangerous precedent" for all MPs, regardless of their
political stripes, he says.

Trying to make Parliament more democratic has proved to be impossible, says
Martin.

"Many of us have been trying for years to get the issue of how undemocratic
Parliament has become and how dysfunctional it has become into the public,"
he says.

"So far those solutions that have been offered have been ignored and
Parliament has become less and less democratic."

Martin says if he hadn't picked up the ceremonial mace his view, that the
House of Commons is an undemocratic institution, would not get heard.

While Martin apologized to the House Speaker he noted he's not off the hook
yet.

"The government is going to look to penalize me next week and try to invoke
the harshest penalties they can find against me, which can be everything up
to losing my job as an MP," he told the News last Thursday.

Martin says he welcomes the opportunity to have his action in the House
last week addressed as it will give him the opportunity to speak his mind
about the lack of democracy in Parliament.

Martin says he's received an "overwhelmingly positive response" from
members of the public and MPs from all parties for the action he took in
the House of Commons in response to his private member's bill being quashed.

He notes he's spoken to Liberal back-benchers who have expressed
frustration at how private member's bills rarely ever get voted on.

Martin notes that only five of the 239 private member's bills have been
voted on during this Parliament.

The bills that have been passed came from the Senate and were concerned
with such matters as honouring a former prime minister and naming a poet
laureate.

He notes there is a lot of work involved in getting a private member's bill
ready to be heard in the House of Commons and the process can take up to
four years.

As well, a lot of taxpayers money is spent on the effort. Martin points
out, during this session in Parliament, about $45 million has been spent on
private member's bills.

"We shouldn't be spending $45 million to support a sham called private
member's business. If it is a sham call it a sham and just can it," says
Martin, adding that money might as well be spent in other areas, such as
health care, if the government isn't going to take private member's bills
seriously.

Martin's private member's bill called for possession of marijuana to be
decriminalized so that anyone caught with a small amount of pot would be
fined, but wouldn't receive a criminal record. It's an approach Martin has
maintained would take a lot of pressure off the courts and ease the burden
on limited financial resources.