Turning Parliament Inside Out: Practical Ideas for Reforming Canada's Democracy

For years, the prospect of parliamentary reform has been a hot-button issue in Canada. More and more Canadians find themselves frustrated with how Parliament works (or doesn't) and end up increasingly checked out from politics as a whole, feeling like their voices don't matter to those in power. When he introduced the "Reform Act" bill in 2013, Conservative MP Michael Chong brought the issue of parliamentary reform to the forefront, proposing changes that would empower MPs and hold party leadership accountable to their caucus--and therefore, to all Canadians. Although the changes required for such reforms are modest, the effects they would have on the Canadian democratic process would be revolutionary.

In Turning Parliament Inside Out, Chong joins Kennedy Stewart (NDP) and Scott Simms (Liberal) in organizing a collaboration between MPs from all of Canada's major political parties, representing ridings from across the country. They join together in an across-the-aisle effort to make these changes a reality, explaining why reform is so urgently needed and proposing practical, achievable suggestions for making it happen. With the Trudeau government promising sweeping reforms, the opportunity is now ripe for making long-needed changes and restoring Canadians' faith in the political process, reassuring voters that their voices are heard. Turning Parliament Inside Out provides a road map for how to get there.

Michael Chong has represented the riding of Wellington-Halton Hills in the Canadian House of Commons since 2004. He served in the cabinet of Prime Minister Stephen Harper as Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs and Minister of Sport as well as the President of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada from February 6 to November 27, 2006.