Tragedy in the Commons by Alison Loat

Author:Alison Loat [Loat, Alison]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-307-36131-8
Publisher: Random House of Canada
Published: 2014-04-14T16:00:00+00:00

DESPITE THESE OCCASIONALLY positive sentiments, the former MPs expressed great antipathy for partisan melodramatics and were deeply concerned at how the public perceives politicians in Canada. “Citizens … have the impression that politicians are clowns. So they are disaffected, and they lack confidence in their representatives,” said Bloc MP Stéphane Bergeron.

“The real sad thing is, at one time, not that many years ago, being a federal Member of Parliament was one of the highest positions you could aspire to,” said Conservative MP Jim Gouk. “Now it’s right down with lawyers and used-car salesmen.… It’s interesting because on a personal level I was highly respected in my riding, but in the general sense it’s ‘You’re a politician? Oh my God. Quick! I’m going to hang on to my wallet.’ ”

Most MPs claimed to regret the partisanship. Discussing personal attacks he made against Liberal Party leader Stéphane Dion, Quebec City Bloc MP Roger Clavet told us: “That man has kids. He has a wife that loves him. When I was in politics, I told myself that I would never stoop so low as to attack him. But I did. I hated him! But today I say, ‘My God, his service to this country cost him so much.’ ”

Our exit interviews suggest that politicians seem to deplore their own public behaviour. They fear it’s turning people away from politics. So why not change? If they regretted it so much, why didn’t they stop? This disconnect is one aspect of the interviews we found particularly frustrating. MPs rarely took responsibility for their own participation in the behaviour they complained about. If MPs in Question Period demonstrate a behavioural maturity similar to that of a kindergartner, then MPs outside Question Period also exhibit another kindergarten tactic when talking about Question Period: a propensity for finger-pointing and tattle-tale behaviour that puts the onus for solutions on “those guys.” Considering this, we’re reminded of Jay Hill’s succinct advice to his fellow Conservative MPs: “The only way we will ever get that to stop is [if] enough of you refuse. It’s your Members’ Statement.” Or Question Period answer. Or question. Or whatever.

For the MPs we interviewed, as with the farmers whose sheep grazed freely on the commons in Garret Hardin’s essay, few incentives existed to motivate them to change the political culture they criticized—and many incentives were in place to prevent them from changing. Individual MPs who take a stand face real political costs: from being demoted or removed from committee assignments, to receiving few, if any, opportunities to speak in the House, or being ousted from caucus—or worse. Finally, parties—and particularly the leaders’ offices—hold a trump card to guarantee discipline among their ranks: a leader must sign an MP’s candidacy papers should he or she wish to run for re-election.

The ugly behaviour is self-perpetuating. The first party to step away from the acrimony takes a risk. Reform tried to stand above the fray in Parliament after the 1993 election—providing questions to the government in advance so they

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