Exam 22: The bureaucracy

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Almost all members belong to one party or another, and, with rare exceptions, the MPs of each party vote together.The most obvious reason that members of Parliament so consistently toe the party line, at least on the government side of the House, is the system of responsible government.It is generally believed, both inside and outside Parliament, that if the Cabinet is defeated on a major measure, it must resign or call an election; therefore, its backbenchers always have to put party loyalty ahead of the consideration of their own views or those of their constituents to ensure that Cabinet proposals are passed.Apart from the fact that some degree of party discipline is a corollary of the principle of responsible government, several reasons can be cited to explain why MPs of any party stick together in parliamentary votes.One is the tendency of people who belong to a political party to see things in a similar light-a natural cohesiveness common to most organized groups.Related to this cohesiveness is an equally natural deference to the leadership of the party and a desire to present an image of party unity to the public.In addition, MPs are encouraged to support the party line because of the prospects of promotion.There are major advantages to a system of rigid party discipline.Forcing MPs to toe the party line has allowed the executive to pursue a collectivist public interest beyond the narrow interests of constituencies, provinces, parties, pressure groups, and lobbyists, and has permitted Canadian governments to be more activist and welfare-oriented than legislature-centred systems such as in the United States.Party discipline protects MPs individually and collectively from the threats of single-interest pressure groups and lobbyists, whose presence is increasing, and frees the prime minister from time-consuming negotiations with individual MPs.Because it makes clear that the government party is responsible for everything that is done, party discipline also promotes the accountability of that party to the electorate.