Strength in numbers

The NDP has released what's becoming a traditional comparison of MPs' contributions in the House of Commons. And once again, the numbers look to be instructive in determining who's putting in the effort to have their constituents' priorities discussed and voted on in Ottawa.

Of course, I'll certainly acknowledge the inevitable counterargument that the number of votes, motions and bills alone doesn't determine an MP's effectiveness. But I'd think it would expected that most MPs would have at least one or two ideas worth contributing, or would show up for votes to the extent possible - which makes at least some of the numbers for each of the other three parties rather stunning.

For the Cons and Bloc, the remarkable part is their MPs' near-total lack of motions and private members' bills. Even combining the two and taking the Cons' cabinet ministers out of the picture, both parties managed to offer up less than one motion or bill per MP: only 41 from 49 Bloc MPs, and 67 from 96 Con back-benchers. And however much one wants to make excuses based on the Bloc's narrow focus or the Harper message control machine, that seems to send a strong message that both are sorely lacking for ideas worth discussing.

The Libs do better in the motion/bill department (though still well behind the NDP), but fare absolutely pitifully when it comes to showing up for votes - posting only 31% attendance, compared to 46% for the Cons, 93% for the Bloc and 96% for the NDP. And while part of the failure to show up can be tied to the Libs' habit of holding members back on confidence votes, that explanation doesn't come close to fully accounting for their whereabouts. After all, it only takes 24 Libs outside the House of Commons to let the Cons have their way - meaning that even when they're taking a dive, the Libs should be able to manage attendance in the range of 70%.

All of which is to say that while the NDP's efforts to make a mark in Parliament may go further than most Canadians would expect, there's obvious reason to doubt that the other parties' MPs are doing anywhere near enough to properly represent their constituents.