Legislative Experiences, Ideology, and Socio-Demographic Background: The “Orange Wave” New Democratic Party Members of Parliament

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

“…their study of new MPs in the incoming NDP 2011 caucusMcGrane and Desbaillets (2018) found that MPs in this cohort described themselves as delegates of the party. This finding links to the idea that many of the 2011 intake of new MPs wanted to advance progressive social change based on the party platform(McGrane and Desbaillets, 2018). Like the Labour Party in the UK, which espouses similar social democratic values, there is a heavy mandate orientation among NDP MPs.…”

“…Again, the representational demands from the constituency and the political party are occasionally at odds as was conveyed in the section above, when the party takes a position on an issue that is not consistent with the preferences of constituents. Yet MPs in Canada and the UK are generally motivated to prioritize the representation of their political parties because they presumably share an ideological commitment to that party (McGrane and Desbaillets, 2018). The carrot and stick of party discipline also provides MPs with an incentive to pursue a representational focus on the party (Marland, 2020).…”

“…The Progressive Party was created due to a disdain for the increasing discipline in the Liberal and Conservative Parties and as a rejection of the political system that was emerging in Canada (Ellis, 2005). The Cooperative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) (later to become the New Democratic Party) emerged in Saskatchewan in the 1930's with a populist agrarian bent (McGrane and Desbaillets, 2018). Godbout argues that with the emergence of more parties in Parliament, backbench MPs within the Conservative and Liberal parties found their roles constrained as more parliamentary time had to be devoted to the leaders and members of these parties (Godbout, 2020), in addition to the general expansion of government business in the chamber at the expense of private members' time.…”

“…In the 2011 election the NDP caucus almost tripled its members from 37 to 103 including 67 new MPs(Elections Canada, 2008;. Many of these newly elected NDP MPs had been placeholder candidates who did not expect to win their seats and many were a mix of undergraduate students and young professionals, all elected in Quebec as part of an "orange wave" of electoral success in the province(McGrane and Desbaillets, 2018). The fact that these young NDP MPs did not expect to be elected and lacked employment experience inevitably shaped their transition into office.…”