Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to rise on behalf of the people of Richmond Hill South and the almost 10,000 people across Canada who have signed this petition.
The petitioners are concerned about when a member of Parliament crossing the floor to join a different political party significantly alters the representation chosen by the electorate without providing voters the opportunity to reconsider that choice. Partisan affiliation can undermine democratic accountability, and Canadian citizens and residents require a formal mechanism to hold members of Parliament accountable when a fundamental change in party membership occurs mid‑term.
Therefore, the petitioners are calling on the Government of Canada to introduce legislation to, number one, establish a recall mechanism for any member of Parliament who leaves their caucus to join another political party; number two, mandate that a recall petition process be automatically triggered within an electoral district once a member of Parliament formally joins a different political party than the one under which they were elected; number three, establish a requirement that if a recall petition receives signatures equivalent to at least 20% of the total votes cast in that riding during the previous federal election within 90 days, the seat shall be automatically vacated; and number four, require that a by-election be called immediately following a successful recall petition, to allow voters to determine their representation under the altered circumstances.