Political Reflections

Democracy they say?

I vote for a man or woman to represent me in the House of Commons for approximately four years. This individual, my Member of Parliament, is affiliated with one of the major Canadian political parties: Liberals, Conservatives, New Democrats, Greens, etc... When I, the Canadian citizen, vote in the federal election, who do I vote for? Person or Party?
Party. Why do I vote party - because it is the party that is really in charge. See, my MP is given a seat in the House of Commons, which gives them a vote and voice in legislative proceedings. But, how does my MP decide what to vote for, or what issues to discuss? The party line. As I understand it, few of the issues voted upon in our House are free votes. That is, each MP is free to vote however they wish without the constraint of the party stance. Thus, the MP is merely an extra vote for the mythical beast - ahem, the political party. Moreover, if I write to my MP in disapproval of this-or-that-issue--which is their party's stance--guess who they'll listen to. The party.

So who will I vote for this federal election? I'm not sure yet. But this I know: I'll base my decision on the party stance, not the individual politician.

After all, what does the character of the politician have anything to do with it? Bill Clinton anyone?

(Removing my tongue from my cheek)