XPost: can.politics, ont.politics, ab.politics   
   XPost: mtl.general   
   From: *Oct.15.2015*@tweek.eu   
      
   The NDP (bless their Canadians-including little hearts) are not afraid   
   of what we Canadians think on any issue.  And they want to hear from us.   
   Four, or even five years, between elections to tell your MPs or party   
   leaders what you think of them or their direction - is far too long.   
      
   I want to see this country's PEOPLE make the final decision on whether   
   we ever enter into a military war in any other country - not the   
   governing party in Ottawa.   
   In time, we need a referendum process on major decisions which affect   
   every one of us.  This 'electronic petition' idea is a very welcome one.   
   . . . next we need a secure electronic referendum system so that they   
   can hear us on the vital issues.   
      
   A thankyou email to the NDP leader and the following 8 Conservative MPs   
   is in order.   
   _____________________________________________________________   
   CBC News Posted: Jan 30, 2014   
      
      
   NDP scores surprise win on e-petitions thanks to 8 Tory MPs   
      
      
   In these days of majority Parliament, it's rare to find oneself   
   impatiently waiting for the Speaker to read out the results of a vote.   
      
   But that's exactly what happened on Wednesday night, when the fate of   
   New Democrat MP Kennedy Stewart's bid to bring electronic petitions to   
   the House of Commons was ultimately decided by the eight Conservative   
   backbenchers who broke ranks with their caucus colleagues.   
      
   Count 'em   
      
   Conservative MPs who voted in favour of M-428 (electronic petitions):   
   ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^   
      
   Leon Benoit (Vegreville-Wainwright)   
      
   Garry Breitkreuz (Yorkton - Melville)   
      
   ​Michael Chong (Wellington - Halton Hills)   
      
   James Rajotte (Edmonton - Leduc)   
      
   Kyle Seeback (Brampton West)   
      
   Brad Trost (Saskatoon - Humboldt)   
      
   Maurice Vellacott (Saskatoon - Wanuskewin)   
      
   John Williamson (New Brunswick Southwest)   
      
   After a roll call vote that was too close to call based on eyeballs   
   alone, it took several minutes for the clerks to tally the numbers.   
      
   The reveal was delayed still further when Conservative MPs Diane   
   Ablonczy and Michelle Rempel rose on points of order to make sure that   
   their names were duly recorded amongst the nays.   
      
   There's no way to know if that was, in fact, the case, but as it turned   
   out, it wouldn't have made a difference.   
      
   In the end, the yeas had it, albeit by the narrowest of margins: 142 to 140.   
      
   The applause that followed the reading of the results drowned out the   
   rest of the Speaker's words, and carried on for a full 30 seconds before   
   the Speaker kindly but firmly called his charges back to order.   
      
   Now up to the committee   
      
   Having successfully garnered the approval of the House, Stewart's   
   proposal will now be sent to the procedure and house affairs committee,   
   which will have 12 months to come up with a plan to turn his vision for   
   an e-petition system into parliamentary reality.   
      
   Chief among the questions with which the committee has been tasked is   
   the threshold for triggering a special House debate, particularly the   
   number of signatures that would be required, and how many MPs would have   
   to sign on as sponsors.   
      
   It's worth noting that, although the terms of reference would seem to   
   bar the committee from simply advising the House to decline to proceed   
   further with the idea, committees are, of course, masters of their own   
   destinies.   
      
   As such, Stewart will have to be ready to re-rally the troops in the   
   event the government attempts to use its majority at committee to block   
   the proposal before it can be finalized and put into effect.   
      
   Still, for a motion officially opposed by the majority government to   
   make it even this far is a victory for Stewart — and, indeed, for anyone   
   who dreams of an alternate universe democratic chamber where votes don't   
   so often go down along unwavering party lines.   
      
   Committee chairs   
      
   Meanwhile, last fall, the government indicated that it would give a   
   tentative thumbs up to Conservative MP Brad Trost's pitch to consider   
   giving the House the power to decide who can wield the gavel at   
   committee through a preferential ballot at the start of each new Parliament.   
      
   (Under the current system, committees hold pro forma votes to confirm   
   chair and vice-chairs who invariably stand unopposed after being   
   selected by the respective party leadership.)   
      
   Trost, who was one of the eight Conservative MPs to vote in favour of   
   Stewart's motion, will see his motion come up for a vote next week, at   
   which point it looks like it could end up enjoying the unanimous support   
   of the Commons, at least as far as sending the matter to committee — the   
   same committee that will handle the e-petition proposal, in fact — for   
   further study.   
      
   While an unopposed vote likely wouldn't pack the same democratic punch   
   as Wednesday's cliff-hanger verdict on e-petitions, it's a good bet that   
   Trost would celebrate its passage with just as much enthusiasm as   
   Stewart and some of his colleagues on both sides of the aisle did last   
   night.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)