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At the same Nov. 5 meeting at which the interim leader is to be chosen caucus will also be voting on a series of four questions as prescribed by the recently passed Reform Act 2014. You’ll recall the act had originally proposed to give MPs the power to expel or re-admit members to caucus, to elect or remove a caucus chairman, to remove the party leader — and to elect an interim one. As amended, however, it left it to each party caucus to decide, at its first meeting after each election, whether to assume each of these powers.

It will be fascinating to see how the various caucuses vote on these, particularly on the question of whether to subject the party leader to their review: an early sign of whether there is serious appetite for parliamentary reform among MPs, at least the sort of reform that might limit the powers of party leaders. But the last of the four obviously has particular relevance for Conservatives.

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While the Reform Act’s provision for electing interim leaders may seem to be merely a restatement of the party constitution, there would appear to be at least one critical difference: “parliamentary caucus,” as defined by the party, includes its 47 senators; as defined by the act, only its 99 elected MPs. And another: the act requires a secret ballot; the party constitution does not. The process defined by the party constitution would involve a different group of electors, voting by a different process, than that defined by the act. It might well elect a different leader.