Don Martin of CTV News calling Member of Parliament (MP) Leona Alleslev’s floor crossing self-interested, and a letter published by the Toronto Star saying that Alleslev should resign—these are just a few examples of the national commentary that has emerged in the fallout of Alleslev’s bombshell floor crossing.
Elected as a Liberal member of Parliament in 2015 for a suburban Toronto riding, Alleslev made headlines by a dramatic crossing of the floor, joining the Conservative Party while publicly denouncing the Liberal Party with memorable quotes like, “Our country is at risk.”
Crossing the floor is when a politician elected to represent one party leaves that party and joins another, much like in a Westminster-style parliamentary system. Crossing the floor is entirely legal—the only place in Canada that has had legislation banning the practice is Manitoba. Despite the legality, however, pundits and everyday Canadians continue to slam Alleslev, noting that she had praised Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the Liberal government earlier in the summer after he visited her riding. I find it hypocritical for those in the Liberal Party to attack Alleslev when Trudeau himself praised another floor crosser in 2015.
Eve Adams left the Conservatives to join the Liberals. At the time, Trudeau said, “She wanted to be her community’s voice in Ottawa, not the prime minister’s voice in her community.” Liberals praised Adams for standing up what she believed in, and now Facebook pages of Liberal staffers and supporters are filled with calls for Alleslev’s resignation, crying foul and calling her move a betrayal to her constituents.
Both sides of the debate are not focusing on the actual issue at hand. In elections, voters are choosing a local voice to represent them in the House of Commons. Politicians can be beholden to a party, but nowhere in the constitution are constituents electing a specific party to represent them. This means that while constituents deserve to have their choice honoured for the full term to which they elect their MP, they are electing someone to raise their views into the national spotlight. There is no constitutional or legal basis for the argument that politicians who leave their party are betraying their constituents.
I will agree, though, that both Alleslev and Adams betrayed their constituents by joining another party. It is a betrayal for a politician who was elected on left-leaning promises to join a right-wing party and vote in favour of right-wing policies, or vice versa—and I hope Alleslev will be held accountable by her constituents in the next federal election.
In the meantime, I believe that the rest of Canada should adopt Manitoba’s 2006 law that forces politicians who leave their parties to sit as independents for the remainder of their terms, or call a byelection, rather than join another party.
As independents, these MPs would not be whipped to vote for policies in the new party that clash with what they campaigned on, and if their constituents vocalize their support for their MP to join a new party, a byelection could be called for the incumbent MP to receive a new mandate. A Manitoba judge ruled this law does not violate Charter rights in 2017, so this legislation would fit within the constitution.
Our MPs are elected to represent our views, not the views of a specific party. Federal legislation forcing MPs who wish to leave their party to sit as independents—who will still reflect those views or gain a mandate to join another party through a byelection—will prevent opportunists like Alleslev and Adams from abandoning their constituents.
It will allow us to stand by the constitution and retain faith in our elected representatives to stand up for our views on the issues that matter to us.
Photo by Jasmine Foong
