Thorny dilemma

Whether or not you agreed with local MP John Rafferty’s decision last week to again vote with the Conservative government to abolish the long-gun registry, his move exposed the thorny dilemma when a political party’s platform clashes with the wishes of the majority of constituents.
To Mr. Rafferty’s credit, he didn’t say one thing on the campaign trail and then do the opposite once elected. But while the move may help his re-election chances in 2015, if he chooses to run again, it also puts him on a slippery slope when the next issue rolls around.
For instance, Mr. Rafferty’s latest household mailer screams HARPER’S CLIMATE INACTION KILLS JOBS. And in inviting constituents to send Stephen Harper a message, he asks if New Democrats are on the right track.
What if the majority of constituents answer no? What if the majority believes it is the Tories, in fact, who are on the right track? Will Mr. Rafferty then vote with the government on future climate change bills?
Mr. Rafferty’s choice on the long-gun registry may have been popular, but it also has painted him into a corner.
Like it or not, our current political system is firmly rooted in party politics. We not only are electing an individual to be our voice in Ottawa or at Queen’s Park, but also the party that will form the next government—complete with its vision for the future and an array of promises on how best to get there. Politicians run under a party’s banner, and cannot pick and choose which policies to support based on what’s best for their personal popularity at that particular moment.
Local rookie MPP Sarah Campbell waded into the fray—either looking to score points or displaying incredible naivety—when she slammed interim NDP leader Nycole Turmel for punishing Mr. Rafferty and Thunder Bay-Superior North MP Bruce Hyer for voting against party lines.
Does Ms. Campbell honestly believe Brian Topp or Thomas Mulcair or whoever wins the NDP leadership next month would not take similar action to impose party discipline? Does Ms. Campbell think Ontario NDP leader Andrea Horwath would turn a blind eye if she broke party ranks?
There is an alternative. Canadians could opt to drop the party system and instead elect independents, who then scurry around the legislature looking for like-minded supporters on each individual issue like people speed dating.
Perhaps Mr. Rafferty should take a survey on that.