This week, this space is devoted to the praise of some Reform MPs and their idea of democracy. More precisely, it will relate the tale of how some MPs, in their attempt to represent their constituents, even give their critics an airing.
At the centre of the tale are Saskatchewan Reform MPs who have been hearing from constituents this summer that their party policy on making the Canadian Wheat Board voluntary is wrong-headed. Instead of doing the usual political thing and reporting only supportive comments, these MPs have done something unusual and refreshing.
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They have been publicizing the fact that some of their constituents, in some cases the majority, think they are wrong.
Kindersley-Lloydminster MP Elwin Hermanson, for one, says he wants to take the government proposals for changes to the Canadian Wheat Board back to his constituents. Despite his own view that there should be an opting-out option, Hermanson says he will listen to his constituents and vote as he as told.
Swift Current MP Lee Morrison has gone further. During the summer, he had a poll taken of permit holders in his riding and the majority opinion came back in favor of the board export monopoly.
Rather than suppress this, Morrison published the result and said he was not surprised.
Moose Jaw MP Allan Kerpan is in the same boat. He has been hearing loud and clear from his farmers that they support the board’s monopoly. In mid-September, Kerpan told a Saskatchewan CBC reporter that the majority of calls his office has received oppose the dual-market concept favored by Reform.
“I’m not one who’ll stick by party policy if the majority of people want me to go the other way on this,” he said.
“What I’m seeing in my numbers right now, that I’m getting back, there’s certainly more support for the Canadian Wheat Board to keep control of wheat and barley.”
To someone who has covered politics and politicians for a quarter-century, this kind of honesty is unusual, if not utterly amazing.
Most politicians seem to have an amazing ability to hear from their voters what they want to hear and then to report that one-sided view back to Parliament.
In contrast, these Reform MPs seem to take seriously their commitment to accurately reflect constituent views.
It has not changed their view of what should happen, but they are not hiding the fact that many of their constituents do not agree with them.
In the House of Commons, agriculture minister Ralph Goodale had some sport with this, reading into the record the Reform MPs’ comments and the conflict between their pressure for change and the opinions of their constituents.
He would do better to praise the Reformers for being true to their constituents’ mixed opinions.
Too many politicians seem content to reflect in public debate only those constituents who agree with them.
In this Parliament, some Reform MPs have been setting an example of why that need not be so. They should be encouraged and praised, rather than mocked.
