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What is Party Discipline?

Party discipline is a major component of the Canadian system of government. This section examines the idea of party discipline, its relationship to Canada’s parliamentary system, and its strengths and weaknesses.

Parliamentary System

When a Canadian election is held, people vote for a local representative who usually belongs to a political party (i.e. the Liberal Party of Canada, the New Democratic Party of Canada, etc.). When the election is finished, the party that holds the most seats in the House of Commons forms the Government. The leader of that party becomes Prime Minister. Further, members of that party form the Cabinet and take control of various Government Departments.

Party Discipline

Party discipline means that each member of a political party (who is elected to Parliament) must do what the leaders of the party tell them to do. For example, when the House of Commons votes to pass a bill, members of parliament don’t vote according to their own feelings, but according to the policy of their political party. If they fail to do so, their political party punishes them. They may be demoted to a lesser position within the party or within government.

This is not to suggest that members of a party may never disagree with their leadership. However, dissent must never be public and must never interfere with official party or government business. Generally, dissent can be voiced in caucus meetings, which are usually held behind closed doors, away from the public and media.

Party Discipline and Parliamentary System

Party discipline is very important to the workings of Canada’s parliamentary system. The Prime Minister is the head of government in Canada. However, the Prime Minister’s vote is worth no more than any other member's vote in the House of Commons. For the Prime Minister to act effectively he or she must depend upon the votes of other party members in the House of Commons. When introducing new laws or programs, the Prime Minister must know that other party members will vote in support of the legislation. The Prime Minister uses party discipline to ensure this support is always present and that government legislation is never defeated.

Strengths and Weaknesses of Party Discipline

Strengths of party discipline:

1. Effective Government – If the Prime Minister cannot depend upon his or her party members to vote in a certain way, then government would never get anything done. Advocates of party discipline often point to the United States. In the US, there is no party discipline and representatives often vote according to their own conscious. As such, the passing of legislation in the US is a very slow and difficult process.
2. Distinction between Political Parties – With party discipline, voters can easily draw distinctions between the different political parties. Different political party policies will be maintained, regardless of individual party member's feelings. If I vote for a Liberal candidate, I know what policies that individual will support.

Weaknesses of party discipline:

1. Trivializes the role of a Member of Parliament – If a Member of Parliament must vote according to party line and not their own views, then their ability to represent their own views and the views of their constituency is greatly reduced.
2. Too much power for the Prime Minister – The Prime Minister is generally the most powerful individual in both his party and the government. With party discipline, the Prime Minister is able to ensure that his/her views and policies become the government’s policies. It is thus difficult for other members to challenge the Prime Minister's views.

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