Mr. Smith Goes to Ottawa

In Mr Smith Goes to Ottawa, the author compares the 34th (1988-93) and the 35th (1993-97) Parliaments. The former, the second consecutive Conservative-led majority government, could not appear more different from the Liberal one which followed. Over two-thirds of its members were rookies. More significantly, over one-third represented two new political parties - the Bloc Quebecois and the Reform party.

Yet, for all this change, Docherty shows that the new agendas of the 35th Parliament have not translated into changes in the legislative behaviour or socialization of new members. Unlike Jimmy Stewart in Washington, the majority of the men and women who go to Ottawa end up accepting a limited policy role.

David C. Docherty is the president of Mount Royal University.

David Docherty has produced a book that contributes to our understanding of parliamentary careers. It is a well-written, original and thoughtfully conceived interpretation. --- David Docherty’s Mr. Smith Goes to Ottawa examines, more comprehensively than any previous published work, the journey made by those elected to the House of Commons. --- The book is a unique and important contribution to the literature on po,itical parties and legislatures, especially in the Canadian context. Canada might be served well if MPs were to read it as thoroughly as the scholarly community should.