A12(a) - Party Discipline 2
Date: Jun 3 | Time: 02:00pm to 03:30pm | Location:
Chair/Président/Présidente : Paul Thomas (Samara Canada)
Discussant/Commentateur/Commentatrice : Paul Thomas (Samara Canada)
From Candidate to Elected Member: How Does Organized and Informal Orientation Shape the Roles of Newly Elected MPs in Canada and the UK?: Louise Cockram (Carleton University)
Abstract: In my dissertation research I ask: how does organized and informal orientation shape the roles of newly elected Members of Parliament (MPs) in Canada and the UK? Organized orientation refers to structured training delivered by the Canadian and UK Houses of Commons, party caucuses and groups like the Hansard Society. Informal orientation refers to the social aspects of orientation - e.g. “learning on the job” (Rosenblatt, 2006), “copying the behavior of colleagues” and informal mentorship by senior MPs. The UK House orientation cultivates legislative roles for MPs but is poorly attended by new MPs (Fox and Korris, 2012). The House orientation in Canada focuses on the administrative aspects of an MP’s role (e.g. claiming expenses), but not the legislative aspects (Dobell, 1980). My project starts from the premise that MPs must learn how to perform their legislative role somewhere; if they do not attend formal orientation sessions in the UK and do not receive much training beyond the administrative aspects of their role in Canada, then they may look to political parties and informal orientation for their parliamentary education.
My research draws upon 68 interviews I conducted with MPs in Canada and the UK. My findings suggest that in both countries, new MPs rely on informal mentorship from senior MPs in their party, as well as ad-hoc advice from the Party Whip and the House Leader’s office. At CPSA, my paper and presentation will discuss my research findings - in particular, the central role of parties in MP orientation.
Cross-Party Cooperation in the Government of Canada: The Case of Committees: Jocelyn McGrandle (Concordia University)
Abstract: Based on the logic of parliamentary systems, party cooperation is unnecessary in majority government contexts because one party holds more than fifty percent of the seats in the legislative branch, and can pass legislation by voting as a unified bloc. This is particularly true in a country like Canada, where its first-past-the-post electoral system leads to regular majority governments and where party discipline (parties voting as a unified bloc) is incredibly powerful and limits party dissent on the vast majority of issues. Further compounding this lack of incentive for party cooperation are constitutional conventions (traditional ways of government behaviour) like the limited power and action of the upper-chamber (the Senate). Despite these limitations, cross-party cooperation does exist and political insiders from all major political parties have demonstrated optimism and encouragement for democratic reforms resulting in more cooperation. One place where cooperation does occur and is noted by many to be a potential source of reform, but is rarely examined, is in parliamentary committees. This study will examine such cooperation in recent parliamentary committees in Canada by examining the acceptance of amendments to government bills by opposition party members. Then, using the data from this systemic analysis as well as recent changes to the British parliamentary committee process, this study will provide suggestions for future committee reforms in Canada to improve its democratic functioning.
Who Gets to Speak in the Canadian House of Commons? Political Representation and the Dynamics of Floor Access among Canadian MPs: Christopher Cochrane (University of Toronto), Jean-François Godbout (Université de Montréal), Jason VandenBeukel (University of Toronto)
Abstract: Speaking on the floor of the House of Commons is a cornerstone of political representation in Canada. Getting elected to the House of Commons is important, but so too is participating actively in legislative debates. This paper examines the predictors of debate intervention in the Canadian House of Commons. Drawing on newly linked donations, biographical, and contextual data from the Linked Parliamentary Data Project (www.lipad.ca), we examine in cross-time perspective the effects on MP floor access of political experience, demographic characteristics, party loyalty, and legislative role, as well of district competitiveness and the geography of political donations. We build on existing work by extending the analysis to the limits of recorded data in the Canadian context.