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So is there a GBA or not? It sounds like there isn’t any.

Last fall, Jennifer Anne created an e-petition demanding the release of the GBA.[5] She explained how an e-petition works (something I have never inquired into before). You are allowed 250 words, which you submit, endorsed by five Canadian citizens, to the House of Commons website. If it gets 500 signatures, it is reviewed, and then an MP takes it to the House of Commons for parliamentary response.

Sounds easy, but there’s a catch: You need to find that co-operative MP. OK, so you choose one — maybe your own MP or someone you have good reason to believe is sympathetic to your petition. She or he has 30 days to accept the role. If they don’t accept, they don’t have to actively decline; they can just let the deadline lapse. Then you need to ask another MP. You only get to ask five in all. If all five decline or keep mum, your e-petition fails.

Photo by Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press

This past Sunday was the deadline for MP Diane Finley, Jennifer Anne’s first choice, since she had voted against the bill. Finley did not accept. Jennifer Anne has moved on to Alain Rayes, who has until Feb. 11 to accept or decline. As you can see, the process is very slow, the petitioner has no leverage whatsoever, and there is a strong possibility of failure.

Moreover, especially given the sensitive nature of this particular issue, it would take unusual backbone in any MP to accept the role of intermediary. Imagine the social-media mobbing they might be subjected to, and the flak they might receive in caucus (according to Jennifer Anne, one MP told her that he would be “terrified” to do it). And since there is no downside to declining, the odds are stacked against the petitioner.