Amidst all of the continued and sustained howling by the Conservatives for an electoral reform referendum, and the interminable bellyaching about the composition of the parliamentary committee and how it doesn’t let the NDP game the system in their favour, the Ottawa Citizen commissioned Stewart Prest to write a pair of op-eds about the reform process and the problems it faces, and to debate between the usefulness of a referendum or a citizens’ assembly. On the former point it’s fairly uncontroversial – that the Liberals won’t be able to get broad-based buy-in unless they can get more than one party on-side, but we’re not having any discussions about ideas because all we’re hearing is howling and bellyaching. Prest’s latter point, however, is the much more troublesome one, because I have a great deal of scepticism about citizens’ assemblies, particularly based on what happened in Ontario. Prest touches on the two main criticisms, both of which need to be expanded upon – that they are easy to manipulate, and that they undermine our representative democracy. On the former point, the outcomes of these assemblies tends to be overly complicated and shiny, what with STV in BC and MMP in Ontario. That there is a pro-reform bias to these assemblies is in and of itself a problem (not to mention that the pro-reform narrative, no matter who it comes from, is ripe with dishonesty particularly as it comes to the status quo), but that the lack of civic literacy on the part of the participants makes it easy for them to fall into the thrall of the various “experts” that steer them to the various options. As for the latter point, I do think it’s a problem that we entrust these very big decisions to a group of randoms with no legitimacy. (If you bring up the Senate’s legitimacy, I will remind you that their authority comes from the constitution and that their appointments are based on the Responsible Government principle that they are made by a government with the confidence of the Chamber). It does diminish our representative democracy because the inherent message is that politics is not to be left up to the politicians, which is a sad kind of cynicism. We elect our MPs for a reason. While I could be convinced as to the merits of a referendum because it would legitimise a decision of this magnitude made by our elected officials, to pass off that decision to yet another body is to again this same kind of buck-passing that has made it acceptable for us to insist that the Supreme Court now do our legislating for us instead of MPs, or officers of parliament to do the role of opposition instead of MPs. Why? Because it’s easier for the elected to hide behind the unelected to avoid accountability, and the public laps it up because they’re not elected so they must have superior opinions, freed from the grasping for re-election. So no, I don’t really see the merit in citizen assemblies as an end-run around democracy, and I think it needs to be called out more loudly.

Good reads:

• The Conservatives want the government to refer the New Brunswick court case on interprovincial trade barriers directly to the Supreme Court. Rather than, you know, doing their job and actually legislating changes using their constitutional authority.
• Bill C-14 has passed report stage largely unamended, but it still won’t meet the June 6^th deadline. Here’s what will happen afterward.
• Here’s a look at how the darling progressive policy of guaranteed minimum income had its roots in Nixonian conservatism.
• Rona Ambrose denies that she impugned Justin Trudeau’s masculinity – because it’s not like the party hasn’t been doing that since the moment he was made party leader.
• Bill Morneau says the government isn’t contemplating extending extra EI benefits to any other regions of the country.
• Ralph Goodale told a Senate committee that the government is trying to eliminate detention for child migrants.
• Lisa Raitt fears the new Canada Child Benefit will clog divorce courts with fights over how it will affect child support payments. Jennifer Robson reality-checks.
• Kady O’Malley previews what is left on the agenda before Parliament rises for the summer.
• Stephen Gordon looks at how the government is taking the wrong approach to try and grow the economy.
• Andrew Coyne looks at how their electoral defeat has liberated the Conservatives from some of their former rigid policies.
• Colby Cosh observes how Canada’s particular monarchy has given us a more egalitarian state than republicanism in the US.

Odds and ends:

Maclean’s asks MPs what they want to see more and less of in politics. “Everyone agreeing with me” seems to be the implicit answer.