New column day

Here, on the importance of showing up.

For further reading, see the Globe and Mail's study on votes missed by MPs, as well as its coverage of the Cons' cone of silence. And for another example that I didn't include in the column, some selected posts on the Cons' stragglers during the 2009-2010 prorogation of Parliament.

Update: The NDP nicely times its own platform plank on MP attendance - though I'd argue that any standard should be set well above missing half of the votes in the House of Commons.

Update II: Janyce McGregor has more on the list of debate no-shows across Canada, with the Cons predictably well ahead of their competitors.