ADAM OLSEN: As MLAs are walking through the doors they often murmur, “What is this vote for?” There is only a minor difference between that and, “How are we voting?"
One of the most important aspects of being an elected official is to
know what you are voting on. However, there
have been times, throughout my decade-long political career, when it was clear
that one or more of my colleagues clearly did not do their homework.
No doubt our work is complex.
It requires an inquisitive mind and you have to be a quick learner. You
must be able to gather volumes of information and commit it to memory. You have
to be quick on your feet, so you can the parse information that is flying at
you and speak to it coherently. And, you have to be quick witted to be able to
understand how the information will affect the personalities at the table.
All of this hopefully helps advance ideas, and convince your colleagues,
in the process of shaping good public policy.
None of this is possible if you haven't done your homework. At the local
council table an elected official can be carried by their colleagues for a
little while. But they are quickly exposed because there are so few people at
the table.
The municipal council table, and the provincial legislative precinct,
are vastly different. In the provincial legislature, there is more going on at
any given time. Multiple houses reviewing multiple items, management or
standing committees meeting here and there, issues briefings and stakholder meetings pull elected official, and staff, in many different directions.
Working together, trust and good communication
In short, it is important for MLAs to work together ... trust is
critical ... smooth information flow is necessary.
There is a high likelihood that bells ringing, because division was
called on a vote in the house, will pull people from all corners of the
precinct into the Chamber for a standing vote.
It is critical to keep track of where everyone is, make sure they are
within earshot of the bells, and 5 minutes from the Chamber.
That is the primary job of the Whip, and unfortunately, the Whip can
allow bad habits to evolve.
As MLAs are walking through the doors they often murmur, “What is this vote for?” There is only a
minor difference between that and, “How
are we voting?". These
questions mask a much deeper problem in team politics.
While working together is a requirement to keeping the ball moving on
many files, because managing a province is a complex business, it also creates
the space for many back-benchers to get lost in the background noise of the
place. They get let off the hook.
What emerges is the question, “What
are voting on?"
It is a problem when elected officials vote on items, they have not
taken the time to review. We should be doing our homework and only voting on
legislation when we understand the implications of our votes.
Adam Olsen is the Member of the Legislative
Assembly of British Columbia for Saanich North and the Islands
Born in Victoria, BC in 1976, Adam has lived,
worked and played his entire life on the Saanich Peninsula.
He is a member of Tsartlip First Nation (W̱JOȽEȽP), where he and his wife, Emily, are raising their
two children, Silas and Ella.
Comments
Post a Comment