Elizabeth is looking forward to meeting you, her constituents, and hearing about your concerns and priorities. As well, Elizabeth would like to update everyone about her actions and work in the House of Commons on your behalf. It’s a great opportunity to meet Elizabeth and ask questions.

For more information about upcoming town halls please visit http://elizabethmaymp.ca/townhalls or call the constituency office in Sidney at 800-667-9188.

The post Elizabeth May, MP for Saanich-Gulf Islands Holds Town Halls appeared first on Elizabeth May.

Elizabeth is looking forward to meeting you, her constituents, and hearing about your concerns and priorities. As well, Elizabeth would like to update everyone about her actions and work in the House of Commons on your behalf. It’s a great opportunity to meet Elizabeth and ask questions.

For more information about upcoming town halls please visit http://elizabethmaymp.ca/townhalls or call the constituency office in Sidney at 800-667-9188.

The post Elizabeth May, MP for Saanich-Gulf Islands Holds Town Halls appeared first on Elizabeth May.

Elizabeth loves the opportunity to meet consistuents, give them an update on the previous Parliamentary session and respond to any questions the town hall participants might have. Over 1,300 individuals were able to participate and listen to her candid responses.

Didn’t have a chance to attend any of the town halls? Don’t live in the riding? Over 70 videos were taken and are linked below.

The next series of town halls will occur in September 2014. Be sure to sign up to Elizabeth’s eNewsletter (on the right-hand side of your screen) to find out when they’re happening as they are booked!

The post Winter 2014 Town Hall Videos appeared first on Elizabeth May.

I’m excited to announce a new series of nine town halls that will be held in January.  Be sure to check your local newspaper, mailbox, and my website (www.elizabethmaymp.ca) for dates and times.  I look forward to seeing you!

The post Town halls coming in January appeared first on Elizabeth May.

Unbelievably, I managed to speak in Dawson City, drive the five hours back to Whitehorse (arriving at 3am) to sleep a few hours and get to the airport before 6am for the flight to Vancouver to join the inspiring March for Residential School Reconciliation in Vancouver. That march, 70,000 strong in the pouring rain, was not to be missed.

From there on to Montreal and Ottawa.

As I write, I am about halfway through the tour, with Calgary, Winnipeg, Brandon, Toronto and Vancouver yet to go. Having discovered that there is a real thirst for opportunities to discuss the threats to our democracy, I will keep trying to reach all parts of Canada, with a Saskatoon event in November and hoping to reach Edmonton, Newfoundland and Labrador as well.

What is striking is that in most locations the Town Halls On Democracy are standing room only. In Whitehorse, as the Old Fire Hall filled up, the mayor told me that he usually invites his family to make sure the hall looks less empty. As it was people were turned away.

In Halifax, my daughter was told she couldn’t get in, as the hall was full. She had to plead her way in to sit on the stairs explaining she promised her mother she’d be there! Fredericton also was a capacity crowd, and what was supposed to be a ‘meet and greet’ at noon in Moncton, turned into a town hall as 60 people showed up with questions.

Some of the same questions are asked everywhere. Here are the top 5 Democracy Questions on the National Tour:

1. Why do Members of Parliament stand for being told how to vote and what to say? Those of us who move in and out of the ‘Ottawa bubble’ take for granted that the daily reality of all the MPs in the major political parties being required to maintain a slavish adherence to the leader’s instructions (celebrated in the media as ‘message discipline’). Yet, Canadians are shocked and that shock leads to asking ‘why?’ I explain that MPs do what they are told, with rare exceptions like former NDP MP Bruce Hyer and former Conservative MP Brent Rathgeber, who chose to sit as independents. If they don’t, they are punished.

2. How are they punished? What could happen to an MP who stands up for what they believe? The range of punishments go from refusing to allow that MP to speak in the House, ask (or answer) questions, or travel outside the route of Ottawa to riding and back, all the way to demotions (losing a committee chairmanship as did Mark Warawa, Conservative MP from Langley BC, when he complained about the Whip not allowing him to make a Members Statement), to the ultimate in complete character assassination and career annihilation. Which Stephen Harper did to his one-time Cabinet minister Helena Guergis; telling the public that the Ethics Commissioner and the RCMP had been called in about crimes hinted at only darkly and never explained—neither orgainzation found anything. Thrown from Cabinet and her party and not allowed to run again, when Guergis went to court to clear her name, she receiving a court ruling that the relationship between the Prime minister and his cabinet was covered by Royal Prerogative and the court cannot intervene.

3. How can a treaty as important as the Canada-China Investment Treaty be signed by the Prime minister without Parliament debating it? Concern about this treaty has reached many Canadians. The fact that it has not yet been ratified should give us all greater resolve to keep pressing Cabinet (the body that has the power to ratify) to refuse it in its current form. And to support the Hupacasath First Nation court challenge.

How this can be done without consulting Parliament? Previous prime ministers would have taken it to the House for debate and a vote. However, that was only a tradition of courtesy. Nothing required it. Treaty making falls under (you guessed it) Royal Prerogative. Harper has taken to tabling all treaties for 21 sitting days, something his administration advertises as a step toward greater parliamentary review. So while previous administrations voluntarily submitted treaties to a debate and a vote, Harper requires the tabling—but with no debate or vote.

4. Where are the checks and balances? How is it that the powers of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) can keep growing without any controls? Our Westminster Democracy was premised on respect for traditions, and principles. Such principles as we are governed by are only by consent of the governed. It was established on the fields of Runnymede in 1215, that even a king has to consult the commoners. South of the border, after a revolution, the government structure built in checks and balances between Congress and the president.

In our Constitution, the Prime Ministers Office does not exist. Parliament is supreme; a prime minister reports to Parliament, not the other way around. Canadian checks and balances are unwritten; they depend on respect for Parliament. MPs need to uphold this respect and stand up to abuse of Parliament, but don’t. So the checks and balances are only going to come from public debate and pressure on all parties to dismantle the power structure called PMO.

5. What do we need to do? Electoral reform—get rid of First Past the Post (go to www.truemajority.ca to join the conversation). Doing so will reduce the hyper-partisanship driving many of the threats to democracy. Remove requirement in the Elections Act for leaders of parties to sign candidates’ nomination form (the only real threat wielded by a leader). Cut the budget to PMO. Restore functioning of parliamentary committees to review legislation. Return control of the public purse to Parliament. Return to evidence-based decisionmaking. Rebuild our historic and respected non-partisan professional civil service and bar the illegitimate interference in its work by partisan PMO operatives. This is a short list, but a good place to start!

The post Cross-Canada Townhall Road Trip appeared first on Elizabeth May.

At every meeting, the issues of tankers and pipelines was raised (there is no doubt that my mandate as the MP for Saanich-Gulf Islands is to protect our coasts from supertankers loaded with bitumen and diluents) , as well as fish farms (once again, no question as to mandate), and climate change and health care.  Other issues came up now and then – should we shift to electronic voting to increase voter turn-out, particularly among young voters?  What should we do about the Canadian Senate – Reform it? Abolish it? Or just fire all the current Senators and start over?   What should we be doing about the humanitarian crisis in Syria?  And local issues falling outside my federal mandate  —  but important nonetheless – particularly the personal toll being paid by residents living near the appalling non-functional compost facility in Central Saanich.

One question at the root of all other concerns is the most critical question for Canadian citizens today – how to we rescue democracy?  How do we restore public confidence in our democratic institutions?

The Canadian Constitution does not make reference to the existence of the Prime Minister’s Office, nor does it mention political parties.  Westminster Parliamentary democracy pre-existed the creation of political parties.  They did not come into being until about one hundred years ago.  And the creation of the PMO (Prime Minister’s Office) is much more recent. Pierre Trudeau found the Cabinet system of government he inherited form Lester Pearson to be a bit disorganized.  So he organized it.  At the time, his Justice Minister, John Turner, told a young and up and coming politico and PMO staffer, Tom Axworthy, to go back and tell the boss he didn’t need the advice of “Junior G-men from the PMO.”  And Trudeau only practiced light management – coordination of ministerial announcements and that sort of thing.

Every Prime Minister since has increased the power of the PMO, centralized control creeping up bit by bit.  Still, none of the other Prime Ministers from Trudeau’s time to now, have exhibited Stephen Harper’s zeal for total and absolute control – not only of his Cabinet members, members of his caucus, but also for scientists, civil servants and even any media susceptible to intimidation. This has allowed the PMO to launch an assault on all Parliamentary institutions.

Pondering this in the face of the most recent prorogation (as noted, the first one to be constitutional), I decided to take the Town Hall concept cross-country.  Figuring out how to rescue democracy is not as simple as ousting Stephen Harper.   We have to figure out how to dismantle the PMO and restore Westminster Parliamentary democracy. And a cross-country democracy tour could help at least spread the word that we are in trouble.

At the same time, I am working on a book about Canada and who we are as a country.  One thing with which I am struggling is how we lost the link between citizens and the state.  It certainly predates Stephen Harper.  When did we stop understanding that government exists by consent of the governed?  When did we stop understanding that it is the “Peoples’ Government” and never the “Harper government?”  The government is not the personal fiefdom of any Prime Minister.

I am trying to pinpoint the moment when we lost an understanding of the supremacy of Parliament.  Or more fundamentally, when did the cord between citizen and government get severed? It seems to coincide with hard-wiring the multinational as the lord and master of government.

I think it has something to do with redefining “citizens in democracy” as “consumers in an economy.”  When our relationship to government is mentioned at all it tends to be as “taxpayers.”  The messaging of citizens as taxpayers is consistent with an effort to undercut the relationship between citizens — empowered to control and limit excesses of state power — to people who play a relatively passive role – but who are likely to object to the way their money is spent.  Hence, the objections to the existence of government are elevated by a Libertarian streak.  “Taxpayers” are inherently less empowered than “citizens.”   The relationship is more transactional. My hunch is that this re-branding of “citizens” as “consumers” and “taxpayers” started a few decades ago.  Certainly that branding was used in the Reagan era, but never under FDR; under Mulroney, but never under Lester Pearson.

I would be grateful for your suggestions.  Not only where and how did we lose the thread of democracy, but how do we restore Parliamentary democracy?  If we do not ask ourselves how we got in this mess, we risk assuming that this is normal.

The post Taking Town Halls on the Road appeared first on Elizabeth May.

Elizabeth loves the opportunity to meet consistuents, give them an update on the previous Parliamentary session and respond to any questions the town hall participants might have. Over 780 individuals were able to participate and listen to her candid responses.

Didn’t have a chance to attend any of the town halls? Don’t live in the riding? Nearly 90 videos and over 100 photos were taken over the course of the two weeks.

The next series of town halls will occur in January 2014. Be sure to sign up to Elizabeth’s eNewsletter (on the right-hand side of your screen) to find out when they’re happening as they are booked!

The post Summer 2013 Town Hall Videos appeared first on Elizabeth May.

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Ms. May looks forward to meeting her constituents and hearing about their concerns and priorities. As well, Ms. May would like to update constituents about her actions and work in the House of Commons on their behalf.

Since her election, Ms. May has held two sets town halls a year in every part of her riding — 8 locations in all.

In this clip, Ms. May talks about the concentration of media ownership in Canada.

For more information on this and other issues, please visit her MP website at www.elizabethmaymp.ca.

The post Salt Spring Island Town Hall – Concentration of Media appeared first on Elizabeth May.

These town halls are an opportunity for Elizabeth to meet her constituents and hear about their concerns and priorities. As well, she updates constituents about her actions and work in the House of Commons on their behalf.

These clips are from Elizabeth’s town hall in Sidney in January 2013.

Omnibus Amendments

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Pipelines

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FIPA

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Highlights from the Fall Session

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The post Sidney Town Hall Videos appeared first on Elizabeth May.

These town halls are an opportunity for Elizabeth to meet her constituents and hear about their concerns and priorities. As well, she updates constituents about her actions and work in the House of Commons on their behalf.

These clips are from Elizabeth’s town hall in Saanich in January 2013.

Constituent Work

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Fall Session Highlights

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The post Saanich Town Hall Videos appeared first on Elizabeth May.