Mr. Smith Goes to Ottawa: Life in the House of Commons

Paul G. Thomas is a professor of political science at the University of
Manitoba and the co-author of Canadian Public Administration:
Problematical Perspectives.

Canadian humorist Stephen Leacock once described the House of Commons as
“a place where men come together merely to hear the latest legislation
and indulge in cheers, sighs, groans, votes and other expressions of
vitality.” For some time most observers have seen the Commons as a
less than potent institution within the Canadian political system,
mainly because it is so dominated by the prime minister, the Cabinet,
and party discipline. David Docherty’s interesting and insightful
study of the role of the Commons during the last Mulroney government
(1988–93) and the first Chrétien government (1993–97) suggests that
things may be changing as new parties (Reform and the Bloc Québécois)
and new members have brought with them into Parliament new theories of
representation that have forced even traditional parties to look for
ways to strengthen the role of the institution and individual MPs in the
policy-making process.

The book is based on three surveys of MPs and candidates, supplemented
by face-to-face interviews with more than 60 MPs and candidates. These
data provide a rich basis for exploring the concept of the legislative
career, which in the Canadian context consists mainly of joining a
political party, getting elected, debating policies and strategies
within the secrecy of party cau-cuses, and voting the party positions in
the House

of Commons. The new generation of MPs has challenged the dominance of
parties over

Parliament, but has made limited progress in achieving greater
independence and input into policy-making.

Docherty also analyzes how MPs interact with their constituencies,
which aspects of their jobs they find most satisfying, and what factors
contributed to the high turnover of membership in the House of Commons.
His book is laden with charts and diagrams, and, although clearly
written, seems intended for his fellow political scientists.