Whipped Into Shape: Conservative MPs Speak Out Against Party Muzzling

Conservative backbenchers are speaking out against the Harper Conservatives' stifling party discipline that prevents MPs from representing the concerns of their constituents in the House of Commons.

Yesterday Mark Warawa of Langley, B.C. complained the Conservative party interfered with his right to speak during a 15-minute period carved out for member statements. Warawa suggests the interference constitutes a breach of his MP privileges.

"The reason I was given was that the topic was not approved of," Warawa reportedly told the Commons.

Warawa asked Speaker Andrew Scheer to intervene on his behalf. "I want to say that I too feel that my rights have been infringed on by members of the party because I am not allowed to speak on certain topics," he said, adding that he has been told certain topics are simply off-limits.

Two additional Conservative MPs, Leon Benoit of Alberta and Rod Bruinooge of Winnipeg, voiced similar concerns.

Government whip Gordon O'Connor argued it is up to the individual parties to decide which MPs should speak. "Put simply, this is a team activity and your role is referee," he told Speaker Scheer.

"It is not your job as referee to tell the coach or manager which player to play at any given time. That is a question for each team to decide."

According to Green Party Leader and MP Elizabeth May, party control is exercised across the political spectrum. MPs are simply expected to fall in line: "that's the party line approach."

"Party discipline is – and this is why I think this is important for Canadians to see this and discuss it as a generic issue – in need of fixing. The NDP Members of Parliament are no freer to speak than the Conservative Members of Parliament," she said.

"The problem," says May, "is the media celebrates and gives publicity to leaders to maintain what they call message discipline."

And party unanimity, she adds, comes at a high cost for MPs.  

"I never imagined in a million years when I was elected as the only Green, that I would be the only Member of Parliament to vote against bombing Lybia.

Because surely, and I know this because they came up to me afterwards because they were so upset, there were a lot of NDP members in Parliament who did not want to vote for the bombing of Lybia.

Similarly there were a lot of Conservative MPs who did not want to vote that asbestos was safe when they were forced to vote that asbestos was safe. So this notion of – even on private member's bills and motions, which are not supposed to be whipped votes in theory – they've been treated as whipped votes to make sure everyone will say the same thing, read the same talking points."

Pressure on MPs actually plays a fundamental role in the erosion of democracy, says May, by creating a disconnect between elected officials and their constituents.

"I'm trying to find ways to encourage Members to push back – in all parties. They get elected under our Constitution: Members of Parliament are there to represent their constituency. We are not elected to represent our political party."

Yet instead of MPs voting to represent the concerns of their constituency, they are beholden to behind-the-scenes party strategists.

"And this is a very big issue of dysfunctionality in Canadian democracy, that members of Parliament accept that they report to their leader's office and often to a bunch of unelected people that no Canadians have every heard of, who are the strategists, spin doctors and control freaks in their party. They are almost an interchangeable personality type that is a back room person and kind of…psychotic, antisocial and want to win at all costs. And they are the same kind of person, regardless of whether they are left or right, that work in the back room and try to control MPs… Well that's not what democracy is supposed to be about."

"It's important for any Member of Parliament to represent their constituents, not report slavishly to their leader."