5 octobre 2017 – Telegraph Journal

Liberal MP could face party discipline

ADAM HURAS LEGISLATURE BUREAU

Wayne Long PHOTO: ADAM HURAS/LEGISLATURE BUREAU

OTTAWA • Wayne Long says that he may now face “consequences” for breaking party ranks.

The Saint John-Rothesay MP who went against his own Liberal government on Tuesday evening to back a Conservative motion that slammed the proposed Trudeau tax reforms said he talked to Liberal Whip Pablo Rodriguez on Wednesday.

Long says the party is considering repercussions for his dissenting vote.

“He said there could be consequences,” Long told the Telegraph-Journal.“I expected that.”

What that could be remains to be seen.

“I’m comfortable with what I did,” he added. “I represented my riding. I’m prepared to accept consequences.”

Policy experts say Long could be kicked out of caucus if the Saint John-Rothesay Liberal MP’s standoff over his own government’s proposed tax reforms continues into the next federal budget.

Long went against his own Liberal government in a whipped vote on Tuesday evening to back a Conservative motion that slammed the proposed Trudeau tax 5 octobre 2017 – Telegraph Journal reforms as having a “drastic negative impact on small and medium-sized businesses.”

Université de Moncton public policy analyst Donald Savoie says the move was rare and significant.

But the question is now whether Long will continue his opposition once the proposed tax changes make their way into a budget bill.

If he does, Savoie says that precedent will see him removed from his own party.

“It was significant what he did yesterday,” Savoie said in an interview with the Telegraph-Journal.“But if he sticks to his guns and if the government sticks to its guns, it’s going to be even more significant come budget day.

“If he persists, the prime minister will have a difficult choice.”

Savoie added: “If that’s the case, then it may well be that the prime minister will ask him to step out of caucus. We have precedence here. If you vote against the government on a budget matter, you’re asked to leave.”

Long said he informed the party on Tuesday of his decision to stand against them.

He’s unclear about the consequences of going against the party in what was a whipped vote where members are strictly required to vote as directed by the leadership of their political party.

The federal Liberals wouldn’t say on Wednesday whether there would be any repercussion to Long’s decision to stand.

The prime minister’s office referred questions to Rodriguez’s office. Government Whip Office chief of staff Charles-Eric Lepine then declined to comment.

“We don’t comment on internal related matters,”Lepine said in an email.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau requires Liberal MPs to vote the party line on election commitments, charter issues and matters of confidence in the government, such as budget bills. 5 octobre 2017 – Telegraph Journal

Trudeau has maintained that the proposed tax changes make good on an election platform commitment to ask wealthier Canadians to pay their fair share.

“I think that’s up to the party,” Long said.“I have no intentions of leaving the party.

“Obviously, it’s not an easy decision because I am a Liberal and a proud member of the Liberal party, but right from the get-go, this was a consultation process that was flawed.”

Savoie said that two things are sacred in the Westminster parliamentary system: the speech from the throne and the budget.

The two are motions of confidence.

If a member votes against either, it’s seen as a sign that they don’t support the government.

Former Nova Scotia Conservative MP Bill Casey was kicked out of caucus in 2007 after he opposed the Harper budget for what he saw as a broken promise over the Atlantic Accord.

Casey then recently decided to return to federal politics, running and winning as a Liberal in 2015.

He’s currently an MP in the Trudeau government.

Savoie also pointed to John Nunziata who was elected to the House of Commons in the 1984 general election as a Liberal, but was expelled from the party’s caucus after he voted against the government’s budget in protest over the government breaking a promise to rescind the Goods and Services Tax.

“One Liberal, one Conservative,” Savoie said.“If a member of Parliament on the government side votes against either the speech from the throne or the budget, he or she expresses no confidence in the government.

“The consequences are terribly important.” 5 octobre 2017 – Telegraph Journal

JP Lewis, a political science professor at the University of New Brunswick Saint John, said he agreed with Savoie’s assessment that the true test will be where Long stands when reforms make their way into a budget bill.

Lewis also told the Telegraph-Journal in an interview on Wednesday that there’s likely already consequences to Long’s decisions to date.

“In terms of repercussions, I think we can say up front that the carrots that are held in front of MPs are probably taken away from Long, whether it’s to become a parliamentary secretary or a cabinet minister someday,”Lewis said.

He said it’s unique to see the concerns of a sitting MP play out like they have.

“In a system with such high party discipline we assume that these types of issues get sorted out in caucus,”Lewis said.

“The fact that it got to this point of Long not only initially coming out in opposition and doubling down, but voting last night to extend consultations, that’s pretty interesting that it escalated to this point.”

Long’s dissenting vote came a few hours after Finance Minister Bill Morneau said on Tuesday that changes will be necessary to the Trudeau government’s contentious proposals to reform parts of the tax system.

The government will review the feedback it received on its three-part tax plan during a 75-day consultation period that ended Monday, Morneau said.

The government will respond with changes to its tax plan so that it meets its goal of making sure the system is fair and encourages investment, he said shortly after an appearance before the Senate.

“Changes are going to be required — as we move forward we will have more information on timing,” Morneau said. “We do need to make sure we take into account people’s points of view.

“That means reviewing what we’ve received, making sure we fully understand it and responding appropriately.”