Trivializing Parliament

"I will conclude my mandate to the best of my ability. Until the end of my term, I will try to continue my work. I will continue to represent the citizens of Vercheres-Les Patriotes to the best of capability as mom-MP."
Sana Hassainia, Member of Parliament

Sana Hassainia was first elected to the House as a New Democrat as part of the so-called orange wave in 2011 that saw Quebec send a record number of NDP MPs to Ottawa. She left the NDP caucus in August to sit as an independent. CBC

How very noble of the MP from Vercheres-les Patriotes to continue to represent her electors. This is, after, all what she is paid a hefty salary with gold-plated benefits for, is it not? She was elected in an orange tide that swept the NDP to opposition status under former leader Jack Layton in 2011. That surge for the NDP will never be repeated in all likelihood, it was a one-off, with those who had defected from support for the Bloc Quebecois looking for somewhere to temporarily park their votes.

In that election quite a few peculiar rookies -- young men and women who became candidates when the NDP was feverishly trying to recruit from any sources to have a live body to vote for even if the putative candidate never set foot in the riding -- became elected Members of Parliament, making a bit of a absurdity out of the process. But MP Hassainia didn't last as a member of the NDP; they were appalled at her lack of attendance in the House for crucial votes.

And she, for her part, took grave umbrage at the position taken by the NDP that she felt favoured Israel. "The first statement that the NDP released (on the conflict) is clearly despicable in my eyes. It stated broadly that Israel has the right to defend itself against terrorist attacks by Hamas." Now really, that is offensive; a country defending itself against terrorist attacks by a terrorist organization.

Did the voters in the riding she represents realize they were electing a M.O.M. and not a prospective Member of Parliament? Do they feel that they're had value for their vote electing a full-time mother and part-time parliamentarian? Might they have the impression that their tax dollars and ours have been well spent paying a munificent salary to a mother of young children posing as a parliamentarian with responsibilities to the electorate?

Last month an Ottawa Citizen undertook an analysis of voting records in 2014 among Members of Parliament. Many MPs had outstanding records for vote attendance in the House; mostly among the Conservatives. But there were some MPs whose attendance left much to be desired. None, however, coming even close to the abysmal record of Sana Hassainia who, claiming her first obligation was to her children, her attendance in the House was optional. She missed 94 percent of House of Commons votes in 2014.

Most taxpayers and voters would think otherwise. "The act of voting is only a small part of an MP's job" she stated, insisting she served her constituency well, and pointing out that independents like herself had little importance in a majority-government Parliament. That being so, she should be receiving a cut-rate salary, but that's another story perhaps to be addressed at another time. No mention in the media how her constituents feel about her dreadful attendance/voting record.

French-language media, intrigued by the Citizen's revelations, however, themselves undertook an investigation into a variety of concerns expressed in MP Hassainia's riding. Accusations emerged that her staff passed on cases to her provincial and municipal counterparts; for action, presumably since she was bypassing her responsibilities to her electorate. Also pointed out was her expenses; higher than that of neighbouring MPs.

In announcing that she would not seek re-election, after the controversy resulting from those publicly divulged failings as a Member of Parliament, she also stated she would be likely to miss most votes in 2015. Accusations against her quality as a MP represented "a low-minded political approach, aimed primarily to score points".