There are at least two sets of questions that emerge from this report that we encourage our readers to contemplate.
First, and most fundamentally, we need to discuss and consider more closely the role of an MP. Should there be a job description? If so, how do we decide what it should include? And who should decide?
Second, we should also ask ourselves whether we can improve on the way in which newly-elected Parliamentarians are prepared for their positions. Should we consider a longer transition period where, at a minimum, there is a proper introduction to Parliament, including an overview of the rules and expectations of a Parliamentarian? This transition could be facilitated by Parliament and supported by all Parliamentarians and political parties in recognition that an effective orientation is essential to good government; indeed, effective orientation is essential to the success of any organization.
The definition of the MP’s role and the appropriate preparation and orientation should be initial questions in a wider discussion on the need to bring greater attention to Canadian politics and support to those who pursue it. The job is important. Symbolically, Parliamentarians are the link between Canadians and their government, and practically, they are responsible for developing and passing the laws and policies that help shape how Canadians live together. These processes matter and surely we can do better than the current state of affairs.
These are not easy questions and the answers won’t come easily either. There is much about politics that is obscure, and the current trend toward minority governments compounds this lack of clarity. The picture is further muddled by our multi-party structure and the role that parties play in shaping modern politics. At this juncture, we have only begun to share the MPs’ impressions of the importance of political parties, and we will uncover more about these relationships in our next report, to be released in early 2011.
Of course, we can’t expect that every MP will do the job in exactly the same way. As our next report will show, they most certainly do not. In fact, the dearth of preparation in a system in which there is little orientation or training and the total absence of an agreed-upon role means that, in many cases, MPs must find their own way. Put otherwise, they arrive in Ottawa and are forced to wing it. While this provides much more latitude for individual MPs to pursue their own objectives than we commonly appreciate, it also further contributes to the political behaviour and corresponding public confusion and cynicism that turn many away from public life in the first place.
We hope this report will be a basis for further discussion and will contribute to a greater understanding of political leadership in Canada. The exit interview project stems from a belief that the system can be robust and elastic, but only to the extent that the wider citizenry is willing to engage with it, to understand both how it works and why it can fail to produce the results we may prefer or expect. To help contribute to this, we encourage you to share this report, along with The Accidental Citizen?, with your friends and colleagues. We hope it will provoke new discussions on the ways in which we live together, and how democratic processes can be improved for future Canadians.