They are "nobodies off the Hill".
This sad state of affairs continues to the present. Anything of importance is controlled from the 'Centre' - that is to say the Prime Minister's Office or the Office of the Leader of the Opposition.
The average MP is little more than the oft stated 'Trained Seal'.
And Democracy suffers accordingly.
Permit me to explain.
Way back when - when I studied Political Science, one of the primary functions of an MP was to represent the interests of their constituents. With the advent of Trudeau and PMs since, power has concentrated in the Party Leaders Offices. MPs are told how what to say and how to vote. Those who depart from script are jettisoned from Caucus and are forced to become Independents.
As an example of this is former Tory MP Bill Casey. Casey voted against the Tory Government Budget of 2007 since he believed the Tory's had defaulted on their commitment to provide enhanced oil and gas revenues to his province Nova Scotia. He was so popular with his riding that he ran and won the following election as an Independent but subsequently left federal politics since there is really little an independent MP can accomplish in a sea of seals.
We need more Bill Caseys - but ones with clout and here is how I propose to see that happen.
Give them more power!! Provide them with budgets that will enable them to do proper research. Currently budgets barely allow for their offices to handle lost passport cases.
Institute a Committee Process that is separate and apart from the Government. Like the ones you see in the American Congress. They are off track on many fronts but their Congressional Committees are most effective.
Individual MPs, as part of an Independent Committee Structure, will at last find that they have real power on the Hill, in their Constituencies and in the Country generally.
This will Cost a lot you say. Quite Correct.
But sometimes to operate at budget rates achieves little and actually precludes progress.
That said, some of the money for such an initiative could come from scrapping the totally ineffective and undemocratic Senate.
It would also help reverse the trend in government of appointing non elected Czars to do the work of your average MP.
As I see it...
'Galagher'
