Wanted: hard-working MP for Ottawa Centre with flexibility and foresight.
Since former MP Mac Harb’s appointment to the Senate in September, the riding, one of the city’s most important federal constituencies, has been vacant.
Early in October, constituents in Harb’s former riding were assured via House of Commons mail that their interests were still being taken care of by former members of Harb’s staff under the supervision of party whip Marlene Catterall (the member for Ottawa West-Nepean).
And, since his ascension to the Upper Chamber, Harb has assured constituents he’ll still keep an eye out for his home riding — just from the seats of the red room rather than the green one.
Commendable, but not good enough.
This state of affairs — and the likelihood the prime minister will not call a byelection before the six-month deadline is up — would probably have been fine 10 years ago. As services were pushed further and further down the government pipeline and more responsibility fell to municipal governments, it’s pretty hard to remember the last time a Liberal backbencher had much power to help out his or her riding. But the times, they are a-changin’.
As difficult as it is to glean a straight policy out of Liberal leader Paul Martin’s glitzy agenda, most — including the group of backbenchers from Toronto — expect Martin to give more money to municipalities to go with all those federal services they’re responsible for.
That means MPs representing Canada’s major cities are going to be jockeying for more power and more money for their hometowns — in fact, those same Toronto-area MPs have been organized as an unofficial caucus in preparation for Martin’s coronation for years.
In any government, bureaucrats picking up the slack and a former MP in the “chamber of sober second thought” are not good enough for a key urban riding.
It is essential Ottawa Centre be represented long before February.
Right now, urban Ottawa MPs have to get their heads in the game and prepare to move this city’s interests to the forefront. For Centretown to benefit from Martin’s promise of increased dialogue with municipalities, Ottawa Centre needs a member of Parliament who is ready to come to the table with proposals long before a national election is called.
That member — no matter what party he or she represents — must have time to find out the interests and goals of the constituency, and not just while on the campaign trail.
For an Ottawa caucus to play a serious part in a Martin government, a federal byelection must be held in Ottawa Centre as soon as possible.
— Trish Audette