A Process, Not Just an Event: MP Orientation and Representational Styles and Focus in Canada and the UK

Abstract

In this dissertation I ask two research questions -first, how does structured and informal orientation shape the representational style and focus of Members of Parliament (MPs) in Canada and the UK? Second, what are the implications of this orientation for parliamentary democracy in Canada and the UK? I consider two types of structured orientation: the orientation organized by the House of Commons administration in both countries, the orientation organized by the political parties, along with two types of informal orientation: pre-and post-election socialization. I define structured orientation as the orientation that the House of Commons administration and the political parties deliver to MPs soon after they are first elected. As part of the structured orientation, the House administration and the political parties organize lecture sessions for new MPs. Following Norton's (2018) work on informal spaces in Parliament, I define informal orientation as orientation that is unscheduled and unplanned. The examples of informal orientation I use in this dissertation take place without direct intervention from the House administration or political parties and include the process of learning on the job and copying the behavior of colleagues.8 While the interview participants in this study did not mention parliamentary caucus research offices as a source of party orientation, research from Wilson (2020) suggests that it is an important venue of party support for MPs.