Voted against government council briefs I the government People often ask OTTAWA REPORT by John Roberts the Liberal party the principles of free speech I stated my case in caucus the weekly pri vate meeting of Liberal to demolish and haps often they suggest an MP must find that he disagrees with his party is It not a strain voting ag ainst what one thinks is right Isnt it immoral and hypocritical to support your party side in spite of your own views Strange as it may seem I doubt that MPs face this conflict between duty and loyalty very often er is i the vote of an MP is automa tic and formal Most legis lation which comes the Commons Is complicat ed and technical MPs nec essarily specialize in a few areas in which they have special become even since the shift at ling of 1058 of of the legislative work est This on the floor of the Com mons will fail outside an area of expertise Without expert knowledge his natural course of ac tion is to fallow the views of those he respects his party friends and collea gues Moreover Mem bers of Parliament recog nize that they were elected not simply as individuals but as members of their parlys team Many voters perhaps most supported them not because of their personal capabilities but support their parlys program and to refuse to support part Commons could be regard ed as a breech of faith with their constituents In addition the House of Commons like our courts or sporting ev ents is organized on an ad versary system govern- same kind of group loyal ties not to let the team down which develop in also develop in poli tics An is naturally inclined lo support his fri ends rather than fraternize with the enemy However it has May for settlement the country and therefore all parlies accept that the must follow the dictates of conscience rather than the party line Such occasions arc rare One occurred last year dur ing the discussion of the I said earlier bit unsettling One almost feels a bit foolish or em- harassed by it Of course for the individual who is diverging from his partys position the question of con Is Impor tant But for his party col leagues the question that he certainly not t 1 c to his decision but they seem slightly puzzled about all this unnecessary fuss he is making And one vote cither way is not likely to make much difference In fact the prodi gal colleague Is treated not as a glorious rebel nor a persecuted martyr but rather as a very nice fel low at a cocktail parly who has had one too many but will surely be all right when he sobers up tomor row morning of map purport- Teen Town is only ing to represent 125 in its rent for of York County the town hall not the pal leaders on the question reported last week a re- of internal boundaries un der regional government Council decided to wrjte Mr McKcough to re affirm its own position on Auroras boundaries and to object to a county submis sion which it charges was made without authority Aurora submitted boundary ideas leaders a boundaries only and d not outline the whole York region did most other primary acquired by the town Municipal Affairs Minister William Hodgson to head committee Export X liHIJfc 6OOK REGULAR AND KINGS Win up to 1000 GREENBACKS NEWMARKET amount bid for this contract William Hodgson has was and work is been appointed chairman of scheduled to get underway the Standing Committee on on May 1 of this year Agriculture and Food it was Tenders will also announced In the Ontario Legislature this past week Highway wa in his weekly col- terl from Highway for Mr Hodgson stated distance of miles that he had been informed by Minister of Highways J Department he submission to isler was made It felt the map should FLOWERS For Birthdays Anniversaries Greetings Sympathy SAY IT BEST WITH THE FINEST in 252 Main Street Newmarket Ontario 8958663 day throughout the province for municipal councils and school boards A special committee has recommend ed that all such elections be held the first Monday in miles The total December Highway from Bedford Park Avenue In Richmond Hill to one half mile south of Aurora a distance of but will support tax reform s bound JOHN ROBERTS In my discussions of the tax reform proposals at various meetings in I sometimes asked if I will support tax reform legislation if most of the lens of are opposed to it People arc sur prised sometimes angry when I say that the first duty of an MP is not necessarily to follow the wishes of his constituents but to work speak and vote for what he believes to be the national interest The of whether or to follow the views of his constituents opinions is an old and thorny one The voters who know that they have put the MP there expect him to do what they want The MPs however are reluctant to took upon their job simply as that of a messenger boy Members of Parliament usually refer to Edmund Burkes speech to the electors of Bristol in defence of their independence from the wishes of the voters Certainly gentlemen it ought to be the happi ness and glory of a representative to live in the strictest union the closest correspondence and the most unre served communication with his constituents Their wishes ought lo have great weight with him their opinion high 1 fill I I to sacrifice his repose his pleasures his satisfactions to theirs and ill nut 111 all cases to prefer llicir interest to his own But his unbiassed opinion his ma il 11 mi li- iit to sacrifice to you to any man or to any set of men liv ing These he docs not derive from your pleasure no nor from the law and the constitution They are a trust from Providence for the abuse of which he is deeply answer able Your representative owes you not his industry only but his judgment and he betrays instead of serving you that of constituents is a weighty and respectable opinion which a representative ought always to rejoice to hear and which he ought always most seriously to consider But authoritative instructions mandates issued which the member is bound blindly and implicitly to obey to vote and to argue for though contrary to the whole order and Parliament is not a congress of ambassadors from different and hostile interests which interests each must maintain as an agent and advocate against other agents and advocates but parliament is a deliberative as sembly of one nation with one interest that of tho whole where not local purposes not local prejudices ought to What members of Parliament usually forget is that this speech was delivered after the election not be fore it and in the next election Burke was rejected by the Bristol electorate In the United Slates there has been a stronger tradition that She representative is more of a delegate This is the reason for the short term of Congress two years and for various recall provisions which enable a certain number of voters through a petition to force But in the Canadian system the recourse the citizens have is not to recall their MP but simply vote against him at the next election And that is certainly a very 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