Abandoned House in need of repair

By Michael Penney

HEAD: Abandoned House in need of repair SUB:

By: Michael Penney

The decision to keep the House of Assembly closed until the spring by putting the padlock on the legislative doors has raised questions surrounding the practices and procedures of our province’s most heralded political forum in the province’s history.

Aside from venting opinions on Open-Line or the recent online spattering through the Twitterverse between Premier Kathy Dunderale and Opposition leader Yvonne Jones, there are very few mediums of policy participation for our elected representatives outside the scope of legislative politics.

In a political climate that has seemingly defined the electoral environment in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador in recent years, the establishment of grounded majority governments and weakened opposition parties has put the legislative immunity of individual members at a serious risk in terms of strengthening their ability to be active participants in the policy-making field.

Unlike the federal system, the size and scope of provincial legislatures has placed a significant amount of political power under the discretion of the executive branch.

A distinct feature of Canadian cabinets at the provincial level has been the level of influence that the first minister possesses with respect to the oversight of decision-making and policy deliberation. With limited sitting time provided, and many of the legislative committees becoming underutilized, the ability of elected officials to serve the interests of their constituents and challenging government policy in a more prudent fashion has been severely diminished.

In an attempt to address the problem, former Premier Brian Peckford introduced a regular fall sitting of the House in 1979, which increased the average number of sitting days to 80. However, the House has since reverted back to its initial levels of the 1950s, in which it sat less than 44 days per year, and remained closed 88 per cent of the time.

Since 2001, a large proportion of legislation is now referred to committee of the whole, and no longer proceeds to the committee stage for further examination.

The existing standing committees in place are generally dormant and membership is sporadic, including members of cabinet, which prevents more backbenchers from participating in committee work. Having cabinet ministers sit on legislative committees diminishes their political independence and puts in jeopardy the essence of ministerial responsibility.

If used effectively, the committee stage tends to be more cooperative in tone and provides an opportunity for members, particularly those not in cabinet, to contribute their skills and talents—particularly their personal backgrounds, by placing their efforts towards specific policy problems.

Aside from the committee structure, there are very few means that exist within the legislative framework that encourage meaningful participation on the part of non-government members.

The daily routine of Question Period as a means of keeping the government to account on legislative business has largely become a strategic endeavor fuelled by party competition. While it may possess the thrust and parry that we’ve come to aspect of the adversarial nature of party politics, its constant theatrics and abundance of talking points has lessened the quality of debate since the inclusion of television cameras.

In order to tackle the “democratic deficit” that has characterized the credibility of our legislative chamber, we must ensure that an enhanced set of standards is brought forward in order to replenish an outdated system that has been corroded by retrograde practices and partisan fallacies that fuel the notion of the House as “dysfunctional.”

Improved mechanisms of accountability and greater integration of non-government members, regardless of a legislature’s size, is a basic tenet of any healthy democratic institution.

If we undermine the relevance of the legislative process with respect to the crafting of public policy, then we fall short in understanding the significance of participatory democracy and the role are elected officials play in shaping the future of our province’s well-being, which should not be shielded by the purview of the political executive.

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