Ontario NDP acting like a Rogue StateJoey Schwartz and Michael Laxer
[email protected]FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Ontario NDP acting like a rogue state
(March 18, 2010) - Why does the party have a constitution, if it doesn't follow it? Is it a gimmick? A show constitution? The current Ontario New Democratic Party provincial executive has, seemingly, unilaterally, extended their term of office by an extra year, without any compelling constitutional reason.This is significant, because it is a group of people that must face re-election every two years. This group controls the policy and major decision-making machinery in-between the party's conventions. Conventions are the party's highest authority, similar to the House of Commons and the Supreme Court all wound-up-in-one. This is essentially proroguing convention for a year, for no evident reason.
The democracy issue is paramount, because the rules for ratification exist to prevent the party from acting by imperial fiat. The process being used to ratify this decision seems to be arranged happen-stance, because there has never been a vote carried out via email. The Provincial Council, is being urged to ratify the executive's decision by this Friday morning, without any clear means of counting the vote, or allowing for free debate. Dissenting views have not been circulated and the process for counting appears to be highly flawed.
If the ONDP needs to hold a convention in an opposite year of the federal party, then they should move it up to 2010, and not unilaterally give the executive an extra year of power. A November 2010 convention would be almost two years from the previous one. Why are the executive and the provincial office acting in such an undemocratic manner?