SYDNEY, N.S. — A Cape Breton MLA who was expelled from her party last year now wants to see the province’s political parties do away with party whips, saying their role is not to discipline members into toeing the party line but to coerce them.
Cape Breton-Richmond independent MLA Alana Paon introduced Bill 229 in the house Wednesday, aimed at whips and other party members who take on an enforcement role within the caucus. Called, “An Act to Eliminate Political-Party Whips,” the bill states that eliminating the role with “encourage free expression, debate, action in the greater public interest and consensus-building by party leaders.”
Paon had been elected in 2017 as a Progressive Conservative member, however, leader Tim Houston ejected her from the caucus last June over several issues including the accessibility of her constituency office in St. Peter’s.
“No person, really, should ever coerce or threaten an MLA to vote in any particular way,” Paon said in a phone interview Thursday.
The bill specifically states that no person, including a member of the House, shall attempt to influence the vote of a member on any matter by threatening party expulsion; possible refusal to endorse the member in a future election; or a threat to withhold a future position or benefit in respect of the member’s recognized party.
Within the party system, there has been a tradition of ensuring that members vote to support the party’s platform. However, she added there are jurisdictions where that is not the case, such as Nunavut, where members are non-partisan and the territory is governed by consensus.
“It’s not a them-and-us mentality, it’s very much a more inclusive type of experience and I think that lent to a better decision-making process for the people that we serve,” Paon said.
When asked about her own past conflicts with her former party and how that influenced her decision to introduce the bill, Paon said it was a topic that she had raised while she was still within the PC caucus, where she said she found herself more than once disagreeing with the party’s stance on legislation before the house.
“It was obviously kind of a controversial bill to discuss within a party structure but it’s one that I really believe in,” she said. “Nobody should have to pay a price for doing what’s best for the people that elected you.
Paon likened her private member’s bill to zero-tolerance policies that are in place in other workplaces to combat bullying and harassment.
Whips of recognized parties currently receive additional compensation of $5,300 annually.
While the bill is unlikely to pass in the house, Paon said she believes it’s a worthwhile conversation to have.
In addition to the disagreement as to whether her constituency office was considered accessible when he expelled her from caucus Houston said he was also dealing with complaints from residents that Paon wasn’t available enough to constituents and wasn’t in the constituency enough. He also indicated at the time that he found Paon’s comments alluding to harassment from committee members and the speaker’s office being unreasonable to be offensive.
Paon had been locked out of the St. Peter’s office by her landlord on Sept. 15 over unpaid rent. However, Paon issued a news release in October which included supporting documentation showing that the province had paid her back rent. Paon said Thursday that the province continues to pay her office rent.
When asked if she intends to re-offer in the next general election, Paon replied she, “hasn’t made a decision not to do so.” Whether she would run as an independent would be part of that consideration, she said that would be part of her deliberations.
