Statement to Lobbyists

Statement by Garth Turner, MP candidate, to Lobbyists

The current election campaign has been remarkable for the number of demands being made on candidates to be Members of Parliament. The last few weeks have seen surveys, pledges, statements of support, commitments and declarations flood into candidates’ offices.

Groups as diverse as Canada’s farmers, its chemical industry, anti-poverty coalitions and pro-heterosexual marriage alliances have been demanding that would-be MPs sign documents committing them to future support in the House of Commons of various causes and agendas for action.

As an MP candidate, I have the following position statement for all lobbyists:

I will not, under any circumstances, sign any declaration of support for any group, whether I personally agree with its aims and actions, or not. I will not commit myself to any future action as an MP, or to vote in any pre-determined fashion in Canada’s Parliamant. I do this in the knowledge that several groups have already threatened to interpret my position as being in opposition to their goals.

That is not the case. I do this because it is my belief voters select Members of Parliament based on a wide criteria, and after a lengthy election process in which there is ample time for every constituent to became familiar with candidates’ positions on issues of importance to them.

Secondly, I do this because I believe in the spirit as well as the letter of the law contained in the Canada Elections Act (Section 550) which rightfully prohibits candidates from restricting their ability to serve as MPs by agreeing in advance to any lobby group’s agenda.

Finally, and most importantly, I do this because it is the right position to take. Members of Parliament must be completely free of all prior commitments and encumbrances so they can judge each and every issue in the light of all available facts, in the context of what is best for Canada and its citizens, and according to their own research and considered personal opinion. This is what voters expect of MPs. What they do not expect is that their Member may end up being a mouthpiece for a group which is wholly unrepresentative of the voters as a whole.

While I and others adopting this position will certainly come in for criticism from many lobby groups expecting support, there is no room for compromise. It is time every MP was trusted to be independent, responsive, caring and – above all – committed to making the best possible decisions, as complicated and at times difficult as that may be.

Garth Turner
Halton
29 December 2005