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Question Period
Most of the members of
the House of Commons, of course, are neither Ministers
nor leaders of opposition parties. They are private
members or backbenchers. What is their role? Edmund
Burke, the great British statesman, nearly two centuries
ago, laid down the principle that a member is a
representative, not a delegate. He is elected to speak
and vote according to his conscience and judgment. His
constituents will expect him to represent their
interests and he will have been elected because many of
them approved of his views and the polices he stood for.
Nevertheless, he cannot possibly represent the views of
his constituents to their total satisfaction because all
his constituents do not think alike on everything. He
must therefore make up his own mind on various issues
which come before Parliament, deciding where he stands
in accordance with his party's policies, his own
conscience, and his personal view of what the national
interest calls for.
The modern Member has more than one
function to perform. They are a kind of ombudsman for
their ridings, to whom various problems, complaints and
grievances are brought and they are expected to do their
best to settle them. They are a legislator, who must
attend the House and the Parliamentary committees of
which they are a member. They are almost always a member
of a political party, to which they have commitments.
They are expected to attend conferences, support good
causes, keep their electors informed, and look after
their riding, without neglecting their duties in the
House. Debates
in the House often take place with very few members
present, but this does not mean that the absent member
is not attending to his parliamentary duties. They may
be attending a committee, working in his office, or
visiting their riding. Not all parliamentary work takes
place on the floor of the Chamber. Much of it is
undertaken by committees which make great demands upon
the time of the private member. For example in the
parliamentary session which came to an end on September
1, 1972 no less than 326 sittings of the House of
Commons Committees took place. |
