Constituency Offices in Focus
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Volume 37, No. 2 Summer 2014 Constituency Offices in Focus Journal of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, Canadian Region Regional Executive Committee, CPA (June 30, 2014) PRESIDENT REGIONAL REPRESENTATIVES Gene Zwozdesky, Alberta Russ Hiebert, Federal Branch Ross Wiseman, Newfoundland and Labrador FIRST VICE-PRESIDENT Gene Zwozdesky, Alberta Dale Graham, New Brunswick CHAIR OF THE CWP, CANADIAN SECTION SECOND VICE-PRESIDENT (Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians) Linda Reid, British Columbia Myrna Driedger, Manitoba PAST PRESIDENT EXECUTIVE SECRETARY-TREASURER Jacques Chagnon, Québec Blair Armitage Members of the Regional Council (June 30, 2014) HOUSE OF COMMONS SENATE Andrew Scheer, Speaker Noël Kinsella, Speaker Audrey O’Brien, Clerk Gary O’Brien, Clerk ALBERTA NOVA SCOTIA Gene Zwozdesky, Speaker Kevin Murphy, Speaker David McNeil, Secretary Neil Ferguson, Secretary BRITISH COLUMBIA ONTARIO Linda Reid, Speaker Dave Levac, Speaker Craig James, Secretary Deborah Deller, Secretary CANADIAN FEDERAL BRANCH PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND Joe Preston, Chair Carolyn Bertram, Speaker Elizabeth Kingston, Secretary Charles MacKay, Secretary MANITOBA QUÉBEC Daryl Reid, Speaker Jacques Chagnon, Speaker Patricia Chaychuk, Secretary Émilie Bevan, Secretary NEW BRUNSWICK SASKATCHEWAN Dale Graham, Speaker Dan D’Autremont, Speaker Donald Forestell, Secretary Gregory Putz, Secretary NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR NORTHWEST TERRITORIES Ross Wiseman, Speaker Jackie Jacobson, Speaker Sandra Barnes, Secretary Tim Mercer, Secretary NUNAVUT YUKON George Qulaut, Speaker David Laxton, Speaker John Quirke, Secretary Floyd McCormick, Secretary The Canadian Parliamentary Review was founded in 1978 to inform Canadian legislators about activities of the federal, provincial and territorial branches of the Canadian Region of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association and to promote the study of and interest in Canadian parliamentary institutions. Contributions from legislators, former members, staff and all other persons interested in the Constituency offices, virtually objectives of the Review are welcome. absent from the landscape 10 to 20 years earlier, became a The Review is published for the Canadian more common sight in the 1970s. Region, CPA. Any opinions expressed Here we present archival photos are those of individual contributors and of former Ontario MPP John should not be attributed to any Branch of MacBeth, who served in cabinet the Canadian Region. as Solicitor General, Minister of Correctional Services and Minister of Labour, at work in one of his Editor: Will Stos constituency offices. Photos Layout: Frank Piekielko courtesy of Wendy MacBeth. Production Team: Albert Besteman, Cheryl Caballero, Kim Dean, Yasuko Letter from the Editor Enosawa, Susanne Hynes, Joanne McNair, Will Stos ........................................................................................................2 Wendy Reynolds, Linda Wells Changing Partisan Representatives While Maintaining Office Staff Editorial Board Interview with Elizabeth Witmer, former MPP .............................................3 Patricia Chaychuk (Chair) Charles Robert (Deputy Chair) No Independent Office Space: the PEI Experience Interview with Paula Biggar, MLA ................................................................5 Blair Armitage Deborah Deller Dominique Drouin Kim Hammond Under One Roof: Federal and Provincial Parliamentarians Share Sonia L’Heureux Charles MacKay Constituency Office Space Audrey O’Brien Gary O’Brien Interview with Gilles Bisson, MPP .................................................................7 Kate Ryan-Lloyd Doug Schauerte Barbara Whittaker A Constituency of Millions: “Elected” Senators Discuss Alternatives to Operating a Province-wide Constituency Office Interviews with Senator Doug Black and Senator Betty Unger ...................11 Subscription $25.00 (4 issues) or “The People’s Office”: Constituency Offices in the Far North $40.00 (French and English editions) Roundtable with Michael Nadli, MLA, Frederick (Sonny) Blake Jr., MLA, Cheques should be made payable to: and Kevin Menicoche, MLA ........................................................................14 Canadian Parliamentary Review British Columbia Reaches a New Benchmark for Women’s Representation Hon. Linda Reid, MLA .................................................................................18 Address correspondence to: Canadian Parliamentary Review Experiential Learning in the Constituency Office: c/o Ontario Legislative Library Educational Innovation at Ryerson University Queen’s Park Patrice Dutil ................................................................................................20 Toronto, ON M7A 1A9 E-Mail: [email protected] Perceptions and Performance: How Do MPs Shape Up? Internet: http://www.RevParl.ca Elisabeth Gidengil and Heather Bastedo ....................................................25 Editor: (416) 325-0231 Book Excerpt: Tragedy in the Commons Fax: (416) 325-3505 “What Job Is This Anyway?” E-Mail: [email protected] Alison Loat and Michael MacMillan ...........................................................31 Legal Deposit: Constituency Offices: By the Numbers National Library of Canada Julie Anderson ............................................................................................34 ISSN 0229-2548 The Constituency Project Ten Years On Cette revue est aussi disponible en Peter MacLeod ............................................................................................37 français Parliamentary Book Shelf ......................................................................41 Legislative Reports ..................................................................................46 CANADIAN PARLIAMENTARY REVIEW/SUMMER 2014 1 Letter from the Editor n this edition of the Canadian Parliamentary who have hit bureaucratic roadblocks and hope Review we turn our eye to what one contributor their parliamentarian can act as their champion or Icalls “the country’s most dramatic, if accidental, ombudsperson. Some members of the scholarly parliamentary reform”: constituency offices. With well community use articles in this issue to note that these over 1,000 constituency offices at the federal, provincial developments make constituency offices an excellent and territorial levels combined, many people across the place for experiential learning for young political country will have at least some familiarity with these scientists, but perhaps signal some greater malaise in institutions – whether simply passing by on a street our political system. Is constituency work alone the or actively seeking assistance from their constituency best use of parliamentarians’ time? Why is it that so office in person, by phone or by mail. many parliamentarians get so much satisfaction from adopting the “fixer” role in their constituency offices But, likely reflecting the heterogeneous country in while the public’s perception of MPs as being detached which they reside and the members which they serve, and unresponsive to community needs has grown? there is great diversity amongst these offices. In a Should parliamentarians re-imagine constituency series of interviews and roundtables, we present some offices as spaces for civic engagement to deepen and of the unique ways in which parliamentarians have enrich the country’s political conversation? organized these offices, how yet others fulfill their representative roles without them, and the particular While this edition will offer a few entry points for challenges presented by geography and population discussion, the Canadian Parliamentary Review welcomes density. and encourages parliamentarians to publicize other innovations within the country’s political system Many of these offices, with their diverse forms occurring at the local level, outside of the legislative and functions, seem to have evolved (or perhaps assemblies. Please consider submitting a letter to the devolved) into the de facto front line for certain Editor or a future article to apprise your colleagues of ministries or the bureaus of last resort for constituents these types of developments. Will Stos Editor 2 CANADIAN PARLIAMENTARY REVIEW/SUMMER 2014 Changing Partisan Representatives While Maintaining Office Staff Interview with Elizabeth Witmer, former MPP Upon replacing long-time Liberal Herb Epp as MPP for the riding of Waterloo North in 1990, Progressive Conservative Elizabeth Witmer hired two of her predeccessor’s constituency office staff. In this interview, Witmer notes that although such arrangements are uncommon between politicians with different partisan affiliations, adopting a firmly non-partisan approach to hiring staff for constituency work served her and her community well. CPR: Can you tell well. I ran for the board in 1980 and was successful. us how you became I became Chair of the Board in 1985. I was invited to involved in politics and run for the PC Party in 1987 and despite the fact that the path that took you I knew that I could not defeat Herb Epp, because he to your election as an was a well-respected, people-oriented representative, MPP? I decided to become the PC candidate. Sometimes you have to run and lose in order to learn how you can Elizabeth Witmer: win the next time around. I ran again in 1990 and was I had developed an successful at a time when the province voted NDP. interest in politics My riding switched from Liberal to Conservative. It while I was in high was very much, I believe, based on people voting for