House of Commons

• Author: Steven Chaplin
• Pages: 79-106

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House of Commons

e House of Commons is the elected House of Parliament. It car-

ries out the constitutional functions of legislating, deliberating,

and holding the government to account. It is the body from which

the government emanates, and to which the government is continu-

ously accountable. It is also the body in which most legislation, and

all legislation relating to taxation and spending, is f‌irst introduced,

debated, and voted on.

e government ministers sit in the House, and as such are a

part of its membership. ose members who form the government

remain accountable to the rest of the House. ey must answer

to the House for all actions that they take as ministers and as a

government.

e House of Commons is an assembly composed of its mem-

bers. As such, its members, as a collective, are the House of Com-

mons. e House of Commons can only act as a collective, and

no one member or group of members can be said to speak for the

House of Commons. e only way that the House speaks is through

its collective votes on bills or resolutions.

CANADA'S PARLIAMENT: A PRIMER

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Members

Members of the House of Commons are elected for designated

constituencies and are known as Members of Parliament, often

abbreviated as MPs. ey hold this role separately for each Parlia-

ment. Once Parliament is dissolved, members cease to be members.

ey may run again as a candidate in the ensuing election, and if

re-elected, they become a member in the next Parliament.

Members of Parliament carry out various constitutional and pol-

itical functions. ey participate in the political and policy discus-

sions within their political party. As a candidate for election, they

promote the political platform and leader of their party. Once elected

they participate in the business of the House of Commons, which

is coordinated by the caucus leadership. A member may also have

additional roles as Cabinet minister, parliamentary secretary, shadow

Cabinet member, committee member, or committee chair. All the

while they will be advocating for constituents, and other interests

both inside their constituency and for those whose positions the

member may wish to promote. Each member may have a dierent

focus depending on how they perceive their position. Although every

member has various roles to play, they also have dierent interests

and goals. Some may want to focus on policy and legislative work,

others on parliamentary business such as holding the government

to account, promoting partisan positions, and coordinating parlia-

mentary work. Others see the role more from the perspective of repre-

senting their community through assisting constituents in accessing

and dealing with government departments and seeking to ensure that

their constituents come f‌irst in all considerations. None of these is the

“correct” or “best” role for a Member of Parliament. All are needed for

the work of the House as a democratic institution to be done well.

Qualif‌ication and Disqualif‌ication

e right to be a candidate and be elected a member of the House of

Commons is constitutionally protected in Canada. e right to vote