Following up on their report about MPs being absent from votes, the Ottawa Citizen tries to delve into the issue of just what happens to MPs who don’t show up. Usually, as these things go, the whips handle it and do so quietly. And if MPs don’t like what the whips have to tell them, then they have the option of walking – as it seems that Sana Hassainia did from the NDP. And as the numbers bear out, independent MPs with little incentive from party whips to show up, may just as well not. And that’s fine, really – if their constituents look at their voting records and see a whole lot of blanks, well, then they have a pretty good idea about what their MPs take to be a priority. What gets me is that the piece quotes the Canadian Taxpayers’ Federation as saying that hey, MPs have plenty of jobs, and sometimes they’re more important than just standing up and sitting down. Except no – that’s one of the most important parts of being an MP, standing up for what they believe in, and being seen to do so, and being on the record for doing so. Voting is how things are decided in a democracy like ours, so when the people we send to make those decisions don’t bother to show up, well, it kinds of defeats the purpose. Despite the fantasy notions that people have about all the varied things an MP’s job is supposed to entail, it pretty much breaks down to holding the government to account, and the mechanism by which that happens is votes. It’s not rocket science. Making excuses for why MPs aren’t doing that job by voting – or having a good reason for why they’re not there to do so – doesn’t help the health of our system.
Good reads:
- Aaron Wherry looks at some examples of less-than-straightforward government formation among the provinces.
- The Conservatives are hoping to get a foothold in Montreal in Irwin Cotler’s riding, while the Liberals are trying to woo the outgoing Toronto police chief to run for them.
- The 50th birthday of the Maple Leaf flag is a month away, but the government doesn’t seem too keen on celebrating it aside from an exhibit at the newly renamed Museum of History.
- We’ve got another submarine in the water – with restrictions. Meanwhile, our frigates aren’t using some of their sensors or other equipment to save money, which reduces our capabilities even further.
- The government is trying to claim that they’re doing better with fewer resources, but the PBO says it depends how you weight it – not that they can get all of the data they need.
- Laura Payton looks at the state of female candidates nominated so far.
Odds and ends:
Conservative MP Joy Smith says she’s not going to run again and work full-time combating human trafficking. Exit another social conservative…
What? Elections cost money? OH NOES! Perhaps we should cancel them?
My column this week talks about why fixed election dates are terrible.