Regardless of whether prime Minister Paul Martin is able to deliver on his promise to make the political process more democratic, there are signs that the culture in Ottawa is changing.

Let’s look at a couple of recent examples.

Although it has not been widely reported, a funny thing happened in a legislative committee last June. It could have wide-reaching implications, affecting everyone from consumers taking products off grocery store shelves to a huge portion of the food-processing sector.

Since last fall, Bill C-27, which would harmonize enforcement powers of the Canadian
Food Inspection Agency, has been winding its way through the legislative process, as do hundreds of pieces of routine legislation every year.

But just before Parliament shut down for the summer, Liberal MP Rose-Marie Ur won unanimous committee support for a motion that could, should it become law, force common consumer products such as margarine off store shelves.

Drafted with the assistance of the Dairy Council of Canada, the motion would prohibit the sale of any product using a dairy term on its label unless that product actually contains the ingredient represented by the term.

The bill would also prohibit the marketing of an agricultural product with a dairy term on the label if it is intended to substitute for a dairy product. As a result, products from margarine to processed cheese could be affected.

Margarine commonly contains milk or whey products. As it is intended as a substitute for butter, margarine that truthfully lists its ingredients on its labels would be prohibited from sale should Bill C-27, as amended, become law.

There is no reason to hoard margarine just yet. The bill and this amendment will be debated by the entire House of Commons this fall. You can be sure the processed food sector will be lobbying hard against the Ur amendment.

Food and Consumer Products of Canada estimates $1.5-billion worth of products would either have to be taken off store shelves or reformulated. But, more importantly, the disruption to the consumer economy would be staggering.

There is no way any government would allow such a thing to happen. This one certainly won’t.

Still, the amendment shows how much things have changed since 1969, when Pierre Trudeau proclaimed MPs as nobodies once they’re 50 feet from Parliament Hill. One government MP, working in tandem with the dairy industry, will force a reopening of a debate that was resolved more than 40 years ago.

This kind of freelancing by a member of the government caucus would have been unheard of even eight years ago. But bit by bit since the 1997 election, Canada’s Parliament has been coming to resemble the U.S. Congress.

The prime minister probably knew this when he promised empowerment to MPs when he first took office. Smart politicians make a promise when it is already becoming a reality.

Then there is the Great Satellite Radio Debate. Governments have always had the right to reverse or void decisions by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission. But just about the only thing that would make a government over-ride this regulatory body was a phone bill increase large enough to motivate consumers to flood MPs’ phone lines.

In fact, just a year ago Heritage Minister Liza Frulla vigorously defended the CRTC’s
independence.

Again, another interesting thing has happened since June when the CRTC awarded satellite radio licenses to two applicants.

While those on the winning side of this decision celebrated over the summer, opponents, lead by CHUM and Astral Bellevue, lobbied the government caucus hard, particularly the Quebec MPs.

The result was that Frulla — yes, the same minister — recommended to cabinet that the agency’s decision be sent back for review.

It may be some time before we know whether the government will block the CRTC’s decision. But the success of the opponents’ summer lobbying campaign highlights an important sea change. The CRTC and other agencies like it will be far less likely to continue to make policy decisions inside their own little universe.

Students of Canadian politics have always believed that unfettered political warfare existed in Washington but that Ottawa was a more sedate place quietly run by a policy elite.

But, here on the banks of the Rideau Canal, things are looking more congressional all the time.

It may be years before the softwood lumber dispute with the U.S. is resolved. But the Conservatives appear to be the first losers.

@page_break@The trade dispute and the phony war of words by both sides is dominating Canadians’ attention, to the extent that leader Stephen Harper and his Conservatives have been pushed out of the media in the crucial months leading up to an election, expected to be held this winter.

No Opposition Leader ever overthrew a government by being invisible. And that is a truism that will probably remain true for a long time. IE