Select Committee on Democratic Reform

Bernard Davis – Virginia Waters - Pleasantville
Paul Lane – Mount Pearl - Southlands
Sarah Stoodley – Mount Scio
James Dinn – St. John's Centre
Alison Coffin – St. John's East - Quidi Vidi
Paul Dinn – Topsail - Paradise
Ches Crosbie – Windsor Lake

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Resolution – March 5, 2020

BE IT RESOLVED that the Select Committee on Democratic Reform to be established further to a private Member's resolution passed in this House on December 4, 2019, will comprise of the following Members: the Member for Carbonear - Trinity - Bay de Verde, the Member for Mount Scio, the Member for Windsor Lake, the Member for Topsail - Paradise, the Member for St. John's East - Quidi Vidi, the Member for St. John's Centre, the Member for Mount Pearl - Southlands; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Committee shall establish its priorities within the scope of authority set for it in the resolution adopted by the House on December 4, 2019; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Select Committee on Democratic Reform may, in the completion of its work, travel from time to time within the province; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Select Committee on Democratic Reform report its progress to this hon. House before the end of the winter-spring sitting of this House, 2021; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the resolution of any further matters relating to the mandate or operations of said Committee be brought to this House for approval.

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Resolution to Establish the Committee – December 2, 2019

WHEREAS democratic reform is an important issue facing our province; and

WHEREAS many individuals and organizations living in our province believe our democracy can and must be reformed, modernized and strengthened; and

WHEREAS the All-Party Committee on Democratic Reform, struck before the last election, has too narrow a mandate and is not the best mechanism for achieving meaningful, non-partisan democratic reform; and

WHEREAS a better approach to democratic reform would be to establish a non-partisan select committee on democratic reform that works on behalf of and reports directly to the House of Assembly;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that this House urge government to disband the All-Party Committee on Democratic Reform; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this House establish a select committee on democratic reform with a mandate to review and make recommendations on voting systems and methods, voting age, funding of political parties, the role of third party groups in election campaigns, timing and date of elections and other items at the committee’s discretion; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that given this select committee needs to be and must be seen to be non-partisan in nature, that the select committee consist of the following: two Members of government, two Members of the Official Opposition, two Members of the Third Party and an independent Member, and that the chair of the select committee be elected from within; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the House consider how to ensure the select committee has the resources it needs to conduct this work.