free votes

We return to our periodic series to consider recent efforts to limit the House’s ability to do one of the things for which it fundamentally exists.

Paul Wells says social conservatism is on the rise; Andrew Coyne disagrees

The Mark rolls out a series of 14 short proposals from Canadians of various stripes, including thoughts on democratic reform, Parliamentary committees, community organization, taxation, free votes and heckling.

Michael Ignatieff needs to get a grip – on his caucus, on his party and on his staff. Too many of his Liberals are going rogue.

Eight of his MPs voted with the Tories this week to kill the long-gun registry. The Chrétien Liberals created the registry, spilling political blood to frame it into law. Privately, in the closed-door caucus meeting on Wednesday, Mr. Ignatieff urged his MPs to stand together and vote against the government. His pleas fell on deaf ears.
— Jane Taber, in today’s Globe.

No, no, no. This is exactly what’s wrong with so much coverage of politics. It is not “going rogue” for MPs to vote as their conscience or their constituents would wish. It’s called parliamentary democracy. Party discipline is not synonymous with the public interest, nor is everything to be assessed in terms of whether it makes life easier for the leader, or his strategists.

The Liberal party’s riding presidents were meeting in Exhibit Hall A at the new Vancouver Convention Centre. Just before noon, they began letting reporters into the room to cover what would be Michael Ignatieff’s first public remarks at the party’s biennial convention.