DEBATE: Should floor crossings trigger byelections?
This week's floor crossing reignited the age-old debate about whether MPs who change parties should face byelections. We ask two sitting MPs to tackle the issue.
Should crossing the floor trigger a byelection? After Eve Adams left the Conservatives for the Liberals there was a lot of debate about the move. We revisit our occasional series "Democracy Hacks" to discuss whether democracy is well served by an elected official following his or her conscience -- to the other side of the floor. We debate whether such a move should be put to the people, with an automatic byelection. Elizabeth May of the Green Party takes the no side, and Don Davies of the NDP takes the yes side.