One of the last things Ed Broadbent did in his political career was to abstain from a key political vote so that another ailing MP could receive cancer treatment.
In the chaos that was the slap-happy recent session of Parliament, it was fitting that a decent man such as Broadbent should step aside with such grace. Broadbent was known nationally for his decency in the cutthroat federal political world that often encourages the opposite.
What he was not known for nationally was the riding he represented. Big-name MPs, such as Broadbent, must stand at the front lines of their party and create a national face for the party. Same goes for any government member who ends up in the cabinet – big time portfolios mean little time for local issues.
As a result, residents of ridings such as LaSalle-Emard, Calgary Southeast, Toronto-Danforth and Ottawa Centre lose the local representation at the national level that is supposed to come with the election of a member of Parliament.
To Broadbent’s credit, he did work with Somerset Coun. Diane Holmes on a few measures in Centretown, such as trying to get citizens involved on the design of the second phase of the LeBreton Flats project.
But Broadbent’s national appeal was too strong for the NDP not to pull him away from his riding of Ottawa Centre as much as possible. After all, his face pulled support back from reminiscent 1980s NDP voters who had drifted to the Liberals in his absence. And since his party needed him on the national scene, Ottawa Centre voters were sometimes left out in the cold. Broadbent spent much of his time working on broader national issues such as government accountability and child poverty.
Ottawa Centre’s Paul Dewar is not nearly as well-known as Ed Broadbent. Though Dewar does not have the same caché, the lack of national stature or a large governmental portfolio means that he can spend more time in and around Ottawa Centre, getting a feel of what his electors want him to do.
The House of Commons is not the place to take grievances about potholes, nor is your MP the person you go to when you want extra policing in your neighborhoods.
But Ottawa Centre residents have issues that matter to them, and these are the concerns Dewar should address in this new, and very different, term of Parliament.
Though Dewar’s party will undoubtedly need him in the House, he must ensure that he represents those who sent him there as much as possible. Frequent town hall meetings should be held across the riding for residents to voice their concerns and views on national issues. Well-staffed riding and parliamentary offices should promptly respond to constituents’ e-mails and phone calls.
And all their advice should be passed on to Dewar so that they can truly be a representative elected official.
— Laura Drake