Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the comments from the member opposite on this issue of democratic reform. I know he has worked long on this issue over many years.
I want to make a comment. Let us say that we move to mixed proportional representation as a system of voting. We would end up with a House of Commons with some 300 members of Parliament. Let us say that 200 of those members of Parliament would be local members of Parliament representing local geographic districts across country. We would have another 100 members of Parliament who would be selected by the parties themselves, based on the percentage of the popular vote each party received in the general election.
Currently, however, section 67 of the Canada Elections Act gives party leaders the final determination as to who party candidates will be.
What we would in effect have is a system in which party leaders would have the final say on these 100 MPs, making them beholden to the party leaders and not to any other group or constituency here in this country.
I note that Bill C-586, the reform act, would remove that statutory requirement for the party leader's endorsement.
I wonder if the member would comment on the relationship of that bill to the NDP's opposition supply day motion.