On the Scott Reid exercise in direct democracy

Jeff Green | Oct 26, 2017

Most readers of this paper received MP Scott Reid’s Constituency Referendum in the mail last week.* Mr. Reid, long an advocate for legalising cannabis, is placing his vote on Bill-C45 - the Cannabis Act, in the hands of the registered voters living in the riding of Lanark – Frontenac – Kingston.
This marks Reid’s 9th such exercise in the almost 18 years that he has been an MP, and he has voted according to the dictates of the majority of the responses each time.

A cynical view of these referenda is to see them as political cover. Rather than voting on a divisive issue on which he would alienate potential voters on each side of a particular debate, Reid gets political cover by following the will of the majority of those who respond to his mail-out.
But I think the record does not support that view. Of the 9 so-called constituency referenda (I would call them surveys) only three have concerned the kind of emotional, divisive, ideological issue that could sway votes all on their own during an election (the Civil Marriages Act, a motion to re-open the abortion debate, and the Medical Assistance in Dying Act). I take MP Reid at his word when he says there are certain issues where he does not feel a party or an MP are any better at deciding than the Canadian public is.
Reid has never attained the necessary power or influence to work towards instituting direct democracy votes on a national basis, but he is able to poll his constituents to determine his own vote. Over the years he has demonstrated that it can be done and it does not result in chaos if it used sparingly and for specific kinds of votes.

In what is unquestionably the best line in the prefacing letter on page one of the recent mail-out on the Cannabis Act, he says “After nearly two decades as an MP, I still don’t see any evidence that Canada’s elected representatives are wiser than its citizens,” and who could argue with that position.
The Cannabis Act is a curious candidate for one of these referenda for a couple of reasons. For one thing Scott Reid has been clear in his view that he sees no justification for marijuana being illegal in the first place. His constituents, even those who oppose legalisation, could not be surprised if he voted with the government on Bill C-45. On the other hand, Reid is not alone in opposing some of the detail in the bill, as do many proponents as well as opponents of legal Cannabis.

The Liberal Government had every reason to move quickly to make Cannabis legal. It was a commitment they made during and after they were elected, and once you announce that something will be legal, how can you really enforce soon to be repealed laws against it.
And Cannabis is a substance that is widely popular and illegal at the same time. It cannot remain illegal forever. 20% of the population of Canada say they have smoked pot in the last year. Do we need that many criminals, expecially when the vast majority of cannabis fans cause no harm to anyone.
The vote on C-45 will pass as it is a priority legislation for the majority Liberal government. There will be no consequences to Scott Reid’s vote, not even within his own party.

But it will be interesting to see how the residents of this large, conservative rural riding vote on legalising cannabis. Do people in Lanark-Frontenac-Kingston see marijuana as a social menace? A gateway drug? Or do people think that the government should have less control over private lives? Will we say back-off government, get out of my garden and leave my stash alone?

When the votes are counted, we will have an answer to that question.

There is one thing that is unclear about the 8 previous Reid referenda. How many people submitted the forms? Pollsters can project majority opinions with a small sample, but if these constituency votes are to be taken seriously, there should be a substantial number of voters, something like 10% of the electorate or more.

I have just today (Tuesday, October 24) put in a call to Scott Reid’s office to find out if the number of voters in the 8 referenda is available, and I will report back when I hear.
In the meantime, happy voting.

*Readers living in Addington Highlands, who are now in a riding represented by Liberal MP Mike Bossio are the exception.