Michael Taube: Of course globally focused Carney hasn't opened his constituency office yet

National Post

a day ago

Mark Carney has been Canada's Prime Minister for slightly over 100 days. Yet, he still hasn't done the one thing his predecessors did in short order: open a constituency office.
Article content
MPs of different parties often don't have constituency offices for short periods of time. The reasons are usually straightforward and completely understandable, including moving locations and hiring new staff members. The matter is typically resolved quickly.
Article content
Article content
Article content
This hasn't been the case with Carney in his riding of Nepean.
Article content
Article content
An Aug. 12 column in the Ottawa Citizen focused on a local constituent, John Van de Brook, and his concerns about a rat infestation occurring in Barrhaven. He had apparently already reached out to his municipal councillor, and decided to contact Carney to ensure that all bases were covered. According to Bruce Deachman, 'it wasn't so many months ago that his then-MP, Chandra Arya, helped solve a problem that Van de Brook's wife was having with her permanent resident card. Who knows, he figured, maybe Carney could help with this?'
Article content
When Van de Brook tried to look up Carney's constituency office, he discovered that it didn't exist. 'I was disappointed,' he told Deachman, 'he should have one.' Two other local residents, Elaine and Lyndsay, also expressed their disappointment that Carney had no local presence in Nepean. 'You might see something on Facebook telling you to contact your MP,' the latter said in part. 'When I see that, my first thought is that, technically, we have an MP, but we have nowhere to contact an MP. And, because of the role of our MP, it doesn't feel like there's someone representing our riding.'
Article content
Article content
Is this a party-based issue or delay? Doesn't seem like it. Two newly-elected Liberal MPs in the area, Giovanna Mingarelli and Bruce Fanjoy, reportedly have their constituency offices up and running.
Article content
Article content
Deachman contacted the PMO about this matter. While he recognized that Carney is 'the prime minister and has more important things to worry about,' he also correctly pointed out 'constituency offices aren't simply a quaint tradition or something going out of style.' What did the PMO reportedly tell him? 'We'll have more to share on that shortly. Be in touch.'
Article content
While the history of constituency offices doesn't date back to the time of Confederation, the current configuration has existed since the 1960s and 1970s. Will Stos, the editor of Canadian Parliamentary Review, wrote in the Winter 2024 issue that they were established 'as a response to frustrations with bureaucracy and as necessary infrastructure for parliamentarians who did not have access to private office space.' Stos also pointed out 'the main motive behind all this work is undoubtedly to be of service to constituents. Some politicians may do this work with utter selflessness and have no ulterior motives. But, it's easy to see how a well-served potential voter could benefit a parliamentarian who is planning to run again at the next general election. Whether this constituent actively offers positive word-of-mouth promotion that bolsters the parliamentarian's standing in the community or silently reflects on the value of this personalised help when next at the ballot box, effective constituency work likely contributes, in part, to the well-established 'incumbency bonus' at the polls.'
Article content
Having volunteered for a few summers in then-Progressive Conservative MP Barbara McDougall's constituency office in St. Paul's (now Toronto-St. Paul's), I can confirm the value and importance of having this link between politicians and local residents in place. The former will be able to build personal relationships with individual constituents and neighbourhood businesses – and, in some cases, establish political relationships that lead to votes and financial donations. The latter will hopefully feel represented in the riding and know they can contact their local politician or staff members if they need help with an issue. It won't always result in a perfect conclusion, but it's an important lifeline that exists in politics and society — and must continue to exist in spite of the shift from personal to online forms of communication.
Article content
All politics is local, as the old saying goes. Carney, who thinks more on a global level, doesn't seem to recognize this.
Article content
Article content
Yes, most prime ministers don't spend much time in their constituency offices because they don't have a lot of time to spare. Carney would be no different in this respect. At the same time, it's the role of his constituency assistants, or paid staff, to field all phone calls, emails, texts and physical visits from constituents who don't have set appointments. That's what they're hired to do. And while safety and security issues are more pressing concerns in this day and age, the prime minister's protective detail, which operates under the PCMP's umbrella, provides 24/7 security for Carney.
Article content
There's no excuse for Carney not to have a constituency office in Nepean after 100 days as PM. It makes him look like an out-of-touch elite who can't be bothered to speak to the common people and has no interest in their day-to-day issues, concerns and problems. Which has been an often-cited criticism of this prime minister since his first day on the job.
Article content