Veteran politician and former NDP leader Ed Broadbent unveiled a package of parliamentary reforms intended to help his party fight the Liberals on the issue in the next election.

"The public trust cannot be written off for personal gain in this sense: there must be no more Belinda Stronachs in the Canadian House of Commons," he told the party in Ottawa on Saturday.

Stronach, elected as a Conservative, crossed the floor and became a Liberal on the eve of a crucial budget vote in May, becoming a cabinet minister in the process.

Broadbent's proposals would require an MP to resign and run in a byelection if they wish to switch parties.

In a statement, Stronach said: "The people of Newmarket- Aurora (her Ontario riding north of Toronto) elected me. They are the ones who will either re-elect me, or throw me out in the next election. I answer to the people of my community not to the political operators of the NDP."

The NDP also wants to tighten up on unethical lobbying and political cronyism -- and used former Liberal cabinet minister David Dingwall as an example.

"We've got David Dingwall getting a $350,000 'success' payment that the Technology Partnerships Canada program says is illegal," Broadbent said.

"But then, while it's illegal under Treasury Board rules for the company to make such a payment, it's not illegal for Mr. Dingwall to accept it. There is no punishment, no sanction, no prohibition. It's just crazy."

Dingwall came under fire for the expenses he ran up as president of the Royal Canadian Mint, but also for questionable "contingency" fees he accepted as an unregistered lobbyist.

Parliament should outlaw the practice and make it punishable by a fine of up to $25,000 plus a prison term of up to two years, the NDP said.

Industry Minister David Emerson agreed the rules governing lobbyists must be strengthened.

"We're being hurt by some of the instances of unethical conduct that have been uncovered, and Canadians will have to look at (Prime Minister) Paul Martin and the team and make their own judgment," he said.

The Tories have also targeted the Liberals over lax efforts. The Liberals have seen their lead in the polls shrink as a result.

The other NDP proposals:

• Election dates should be fixed and held every four years.
• Reforming the electoral process by combining proportional representation with the current first-past-the-post system.
• There should be spending limits and transparency conditions on leadership contests within political parties.
• A fair process for government appointments to end unfair and unethical patronage practices.

The party expects to introduce their proposed reforms in a bill sometime this week.

With a report from CTV's Rosemary Thompson