stockwell day's babble

the writing style takes on what an early elementry school news-letter that a child would bring home. sadly politics is his day job ...

Democratic reforms could help boost people’s interest in politics
Stockwell Day's letter, opinion section Penticton Western News
By Stockwell Day is the member of parliament for Okanagan-Coqu.
Mar 08 2006

“Never before in Canada.” “An all time first.” That’s what they are saying about last week’s public quizzing of the candidate for the position of Supreme Court judge.

Whatever anyone may think about the process, all are agreed that it was a Canadian first.

However, as historic as that was, there’s something even more unprecedented going on that most commentators are missing. Before I get to that, let me say that I join many of you as my constituents in agreeing with some of the things our newest Supreme said while he faced an MP committee for the last time in his life.

As you know there are two broad streams of thought on the whole question of how a judge should judge.

One school says a judge can rule as broadly and widely as they ‘feel’ they should, interpreting the law according to their intuition, even ordering elected people to write new laws to satisfy the judicial impulse. This is known as judicial activism.

The other side says a judge should be more constrained, trying to integrate the original intent of the law into their judgment, leaving it to the elected legislators to be accountable to the public for the laws they do (or don’t) write.

New Justice Rothstein said under questioning he believes in judicial constraint. Long may his red robes flow.

But let’s get to the even bigger historic shift that is taking place under the Peace Tower’s shadow.

This week Prime Minister Harper also reaffirmed his commitment to put in place a system which would see senators having to get elected (as in most countries in the free world) instead of being appointed by patronage.

Do you see what is taking place right under our noses? National and international commentators on the subject of democracy have long been wary and critical of the immense and stifling power of Canada’s PMs to appoint, without accountability, to the most powerful posts in the land.

It is a historical fact that leaders in dictatorships or democracies rarely, if ever, share their powers to appoint unless they are facing angry mobs or mutineers at gun point.

Yet here we have a prime minister who recognizes the dangers of one person being vested with too much power.

Rather than hoarding that treasure-chest of authority he is doing something almost unheard of.

He is trying to shift some of that awesome weight back to you and me: The People.

What a concept. Think about it. As citizens gain more say in the forces that control their destiny, they might actually get a bit more engaged in things that many people can only dream about: like elections.

What a concept.
Stockwell Day
Minister’s Report