Election 2015 - Working in Parliament
- Details
- Published on Thursday, October 8, 2015
Banner Staff
The Neepawa Banner
Until the federal election on October 19th, the Neepawa Banner will be talking to the candidates about the issues that matter to local voters. Check back as we ask the candidates for their views on a new topic each week.
If you are elected, but your party doesn’t form the government, how would you work with the government and other MPs?
Name: Laverne Lewycky
Party: NDP
Home: Dauphin
This question actually applies to all situations, whether in government or in opposition. The current parliamentary situation is a display of the most rancorous attitudes and behaviours that I have witnessed in watching parliament during my days as an MP to date. The civility and respect that I observed in my parliamentary career has evaporated in the last decade. The micromanaging of government MPs by the Prime Minister’s Office is really an affront to our democracy.
My approach would be to restore the dignity and esteem I experienced as an MP. Perhaps we should take a page from most of our municipal councils who approach their jobs as a service to their constituents on a nonpartisan basis. They focus on the needs and welfare of their communities. The various ways I would endeavour to achieve those goals would apply not only to the House of Commons itself, but also to work in parliamentary committees.
Personally, I tried to and would work cooperatively. Even though we would seek to abolish the Senate, I had occasion to work on Joint Senate and House of Commons Committees in a spirit of working for the best interests of Canada. This attitude of teamwork meant that I would seek the best advice from expert witnesses and government employees with an attitude of inclusiveness, without compromising my principles. When I had a different opinion, I would seek to disagree without being disagreeable. In some cases, if I could not reach a mutually satisfying resolution to our differences, I would be prepared to write a minority report. We have that precedence in the B & B Commission when one commissioner did just that. However, I found that when representing my party on the Special Parliamentary Committee on the Participation of Visible Minorities in Canadian Society, members of the two other political parties listened to my suggestions and respected my scholarly education, background and achievements in the area of multiculturalism. In fact, they welcomed my drafting sections of the Equality Now! report. In addition, I have worked as a consultant to parliamentary committees; that experience would help me to work with other political parties as I did when I worked as a government consultant to the Standing Committee that wrote Multiculturalism: Building the Canadian Mosaic.
Finally, the most important aspect of working with caucuses, cabinet, government and other MPs is to represent the constituents of Dauphin-Swan River-Neepawa, not to be a cheerleader for a government who only represents the PMO to the constituency. Accordingly, I would plan to effectively present the concerns of the 36½ municipalities, 14 First Nations, youth, adults and various interest groups to Parliament in Ottawa in a cordial and comprehensive manner. This would entail bringing to the floor of Parliament or to the table in Committees the resolutions, briefs, petitions and issues in a responsible manner, incorporating their views. Therefore, to work with government, I would ensure that my Constituency Advisory Council and Committees would have their voices clearly, forcefully, yet diplomatically raised in Ottawa.
Name: Kate Storey
Party: Green Party of Canada
Home: Grandview
[In the previous sitting of parliament] we had one member of parliament (MP), and we still got a lot done. Things get done through mutual respect and by working with other parties across the board. That’s the thing about the Green Party. It’s not about division; we want co-operation, we want consensus and we want to take party politics out of politics.
We also want the MPs to answer to their ridings and not to their party. The way you do that is very simple. There are little things in the rules that have given parties this huge power over their MPs. A member of parliament sits down at their desk, and every day, they have this piece of paper that tells them how to vote on every single bill. They have no choice. If they don’t vote with their party, they get kicked out of the party. So, how are you supposed to represent your people, who may be different than those in Quebec or New Brunswick or British Columbia? How do you represent your people if you’re not allowed to? As an MP, your vote is your voice and the voice of those you represent. So we want to take the power that is owned by the Prime Minister’s office (PMO), and that’s not just Stephen Harper, who has put power in the PMO. This is something that’s been in place since the Liberals were in power. As it stands right now, the PMO is like an elected chair. They can do whatever they want and really, a lot of policy is made in that office by, as my leader [Elizabeth May] says, “the boys in short pants”, instead of by the parliamentarians who were elected to make the policy in the first place.
Name: Robert Sopuck
Party: Conservative Party of Canada
Home: Sandy Lake
This is a possibility that I am really not considering given that it looks like a Conservative majority government is becoming more likely. Having said that, I will work with anybody to ensure the growth and development of our rural communities. However, given the anti-rural agendas of the other main political parties (that is, support for the long gun registry, opposition to modern agriculture and our natural resource industries and opposition to trade agreements), it is difficult to imagine that they would ever advance programs and policies to benefit the constituents of Dauphin-Swan River-Neepawa.
Name: Ray Piché
Party: Liberal Party of Canada
Home: Onanole
If the citizens of Dauphin-Swan River-Neepawa cast their ballot and choose me to be their voice in Ottawa, I will work tirelessly for them and work with all elected MPs, even if they are from different political parties. As we are elected for the people by the people, we need to honour their word and work together.
I am proud to be a part of the Liberal Party of Canada because we will return the House of Commons to a place of respect and openness, and speak for Canadians that are unable to be there. We will do that by having free votes in the House of Commons.
We will give Canadians a stronger voice in the House of Commons by limiting the circumstances in which Liberal Members of Parliament will be required to vote with cabinet.
For members of the Liberal Caucus, all votes will be free votes with the exception of those that implement the Liberal electoral platform, traditional confidence matters, like the budget and those that address our shared values and the protections guaranteed by the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
My leader expects me to bring the constituents’ concerns to Ottawa and address their needs, not to bring Ottawa back to the riding. That is what I will do for the citizens of Dauphin-Swan River-Neepawa.
Name: Inky Mark
Party: Independent
Home: Dauphin
My past records demonstrate that I have the ability and effectiveness to work with whoever forms the government. In fact, I sat as an independent for two years in Ottawa. Over my thirteen years in Parliament, most of my time was spent in opposition. This did not prevent me from being an effective and contributing MP, both on the legislative side and helping my constituents.
If the country ends up with a minority government, my independent vote will have a lot of weight.
