Discipline vs Democracy: Party Discipline in Canadian Politics

3045 Words7 Pages

Canada has been claimed to be a country of democracy and fairness, where majority rules and everyone gets a say. Though this is evident in some areas of Canada, in The House of Commons and in the political background it is not. Members of Parliament are not as powerful as they are said to be and due to party discipline, the amount of power they actually have is very limited. Party discipline has taken Members of Parliament and trained them to obey whatever the leader of the Party and their whips say, just like seals. There are several arguments supporting this issue, such as Members of Parliament are forced to vote in whatever way their Political Party wants them to, even if they do not agree with the decision. This is seen in plenty examples of Members of Parliament complaining about decisions made and not being informed about certain legislation. Another argument would be the contrast of power between the Prime Minister and Members of Parliament. The amount of power the Prime Minister and his or her leaders supresses Members of Parliament to do what they wants regardless of what power each Member of Parliament has. Also, Members of Parliament cannot make any significant change by themselves. There are many Members of Parliament that want to make personal changes in society, but cannot because party discipline makes sure they stay focused on the main party’s agenda. These arguments will prove that Members of Parliament are called to do what the parties ask and obey without hesitation. Party discipline has taken over democracy in the Political realm and has made Members of Parliament have no power or control over the decision made. Politics in Canada trains Members of Parliament to be seals.

Members of Parliament are force...

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...ur Member of Parliament Edmonton-Beaumont: http://www.david-kilgour.com/mp/discipline.htm

Mackrael, K. (2013, February 7). 'Behave and Obey': How party discipline hurts politics. Retrieved from The Globe and Mail: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/behave-and-obey-how-party-discipline-hurts-politics/article8235842/

Members of Parliament. (2011, June 2). Retrieved from Parliament of Canada: http://www.parl.gc.ca/parliamentarians/en/members

Munroe, S. (2014, March 17). Role of Canadian Members of Parliament: Responsibilities of Members of Parliament in Canada. Retrieved from about.com: http://canadaonline.about.com/cs/parliament/a/rolemps.htm

Service, C. N. (n.d.). Quebec's Nation Status cost Harper his first cabinet member . Retrieved from National Post: http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=692b134e-c712-44c5-83ae-bff78fc1a071&k=49129

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