Editor:
Re: Gov't MLA doesn't necessarily pay dividends for constituents, Community Comment, April 19
I can offer a second reason to elect a candidate whose primary allegiance is to his/her constituents: provincial MLAs and federal MPs are essential to Canada's parliamentary democracy.
It's called responsible government and it's the main check on the abuse of power in our system of government. Americans have a system of checks and balances to curb the abuse of power. The elected representatives in Congress operate independently of the president and cabinet.
In B.C., the government, the premier and cabinet, consists of elected representatives so the checks and balances must reside with the representatives. Under the principle of responsible government, the government is responsible to elected representatives of the people who make up the legislative assembly.
If the government does not retain the confidence of the assembly and loses a major vote, the government falls and an election must be held.
Sir John A. Macdonald, Canada's first prime minister, held power when responsible government was taken seriously and his genius lay in his ability to connect with elected members to build support for government initiatives.
Consensus building is hard work and over the years successive leaders, eager to get things done, have enforced party discipline to neuter the power of elected representatives.
British Columbians are poorly served by party discipline. Local concerns are sacrificed for the sake of a central agenda.
Issues are dealt with in sealed ideological boxes that work against the creativity that comes from diverse input.
Dictatorships get things done. B.C. is not a dictatorship, but from the fiasco of the HST to their refusal to explain the decision to waive repayment of $6 million in legal fees for two ex-staffers who pleaded guilty in the B.C. Rail case to the farce of their cynical attempt to reach ethnic voters, the current Liberal regime typifies the arrogance that comes from unchecked power.
John Clement
