As someone not seeking re-election after being elected to the last nine parliaments, I have mixed feelings about not running again. But I have no regrets about not being a candidate in an election that unfortunately seems to be but an extension of the juvenile exchanges between the Liberals and Conservatives that plagued the floor of the House of Commons in the parliament that was dissolved on Sept. 7th. In the same way, I will not miss the constant sense of disappointment that debate in the House of Commons does not live up to what Canadians have a right to expect of their representatives.
In this respect, I have always been proud of the role and the behavior of the NDP in the House of Commons. Sure, we have had the odd louder-than-appropriate voice in our corner of the House, and the odd unparliamentary incident, usually driven by rage at some form of government inaction. But my memory of my life in the NDP corner will primarily be one of trying to raise important issues while the Liberals and Conservatives, aided by the fatal attraction of the media, preferred to spend their parliamentary time debating who among them was the least corrupt.
It's not that the calibre of people attracted to run for parliament has deteriorated over the years. It's more like a case of good people falling not so much into bad company, but into a toxic culture that drives them to behave in ways that they would rather not.
The triumph of character assassination, simulated indignation, and trivial pursuit over substantial debate abounds. Constructive, rational, intelligent criticism from the opposition is seldom answered in the same spirit, and is too often ignored by the media. Likewise, honest answers from government would only be exploited, or jumped on, rather than seen as valuable contributions to an ongoing debate. Add to this the failure of successive prime ministers to even try to set the proper tone in the House, and you have a recipe for the disrepute that Parliament has fallen into.
The way out of this culture is not clear, but a willingness on the part of both the official opposition and the government to discipline themselves and their members will be crucial. My fear is that at some subliminal level, even though their members find it distasteful, the focus on scandal serves the purposes of parties whose policies aren't often very far apart, and who this must seek out their differences in dark corners.
Having said this, I will definitely miss that part of being an MP which enables one, in committee, in private meetings, and at receptions, to meet so many different Canadians, to hear their views and concerns, and to have the kinds of conversations about issues that one wishes could be replicated on the floor of the House. Add to this the opportunity to help individual constituents who are treated unjustly by the system, the times that the very presence of the NDP has meant that important issues are raised which otherwise would never be, and colleagues on both sides of the House who also hate sandbox politics and wish that Parliament could be otherwise.
In the meantime, it's hard not to think of Yeats's poem about the worst being full of passionate intensity. I'm not sure that the best lack all conviction yet, but the ceremony of innocence is certainly drowned.
First elected to the House of Commons in 1979, Bill Blaikie is currently its longest-serving member. He is not seeking re-election.
Special to The Globe and Mail
