Stop Muzzling MPs

Stop Muzzling MPs

Party leaders muzzling politicians takes away their freedom to represent you!  That’s undemocratic, dictatorial and un-Canadian!

Join with people across Canada and send a strong message to party leaders and politicians that you won’t accept the muzzling of politicians who are supposed to be representing you, and that you want changes to make your politicians more independent and empowered!

Please send your letter now using the form on this page, and please help spread the word by Liking and Tweeting this page.

See what Rick Mercer thinks about muzzling MPs in the video below

Download and print the “Senate Scandal is the tip of the iceberg” sign by clicking here and put it up everywhere

Surveys over the past 15 years have shown clearly that voters want changes to ensure their politician listens to them, including the first-ever survey conducted in May 2013 specifically about restricting the power of party leaders to control politicians in their party.  The Liberals have committed to exploring some changes and the NDP have also promised some changes.  Conservative MP Michael Chong introduced a bill in December 2013 that proposes making many of the same changes as Democracy Watch proposes.

The Conservatives promised some changes in 2006 (but broke their promises), and MPs could work together to make the changes at any time by simply proposing and agreeing to change the House of Commons rules, the Parliament of Canada Act, and the Canada Elections Act (no party leader could stop them if they would simply all work together to throw off their chains).

The time has come for Canadians to come together and call for reasonable changes to ensure politicians across Canada are free to say what they want about any issue, and have some freedom to represent the will of voters who elected them and/or uphold the public interest, without their party leader being able to punish them.  Please join us in calling for:

  • Riding associations, not party leaders, having the power to select candidates;
  • Election watchdogs overseeing nomination races to ensure they are run fairly;
  • Party leaders whipping votes only on issues where the party had a clear position stated in the previous election;
  • All politicians in each party choosing who sits on legislative committees, not party leaders;
  • The Speaker of the legislature, not party leaders, choosing who asks questions during Question Period;
  • Prohibiting party leaders from controlling what politicians say during member statements; and
  • The caucus of each party, by two-thirds vote, being empowered to initiate a review of the party leader’s leadership.

Please also help keep this campaign running until politicians across Canada have the power to properly represent their riding by contributing $10-$20 a month here. Democracy Watch is not funded by corporations or the government. We only accept money from people like you!

Thank you for your support!


See what Rick Mercer thinks about muzzling MPs:


Please send your letter now


In the 2006 federal election, the federal Conservatives promised they would make the following changes (but they broke these promises and many other democratic reform promises):

  • Ensure that party nomination and leadership races are conducted in a fair, transparent, and democratic manner;
  • Prevent party leaders from appointing candidates without the democratic consent of local electoral district associations, and;
  • Make all votes in Parliament, except the budget and main estimates, “free votes” for ordinary Members of Parliament.”

Brought to you by Democracy Watch’s Democratic Voting Systems Campaign