How your elected representative represents you.

As reported in THE HILL TIMES, MONDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2009

The latest challenge for Mr. Ignatieff was the debate over the controversial Harmonized Sales Tax (HST), which the provincial governments of Ontario and B.C. want to implement. The leader, who has criticized the tax in the past, announced last week his caucus would support the tax, along with the Conservatives and the Bloc Québécois. But Liberal MPs from Ontario and B.C. publicly voiced their opposition to the decision following a heated debate in caucus, fearing voters in the next federal election would punish them. In the end no Liberals voted against the tax, but 27 MPs were absent, representing more than a third of the 77-member caucus, although Mr. Ignatieff told reporters that on subsequent votes they would see a united caucus.

Absent/Paired Liberal and Conservative MPs on HST Vote on Dec. 3

Conservatives: Absent

1. David Anderson (Cypress Hill-Grasslands, Sask.)
2. James Bezan (Selkirk-Interlake, Man.)
3. Jean-Pierre Blackburn (Jonquière-Alma, Que.)
4. Rod Bruinooge (Winnipeg South, Man.)
5. Michael Chong (Wellington-Halton Hills, Ont.)
6. Tony Clement (Parry Sound-Muskoka, Ont.)
7. John Duncan (Vancouver Island North, B.C.)
8. Helena Guergis (Simcoe-Grey, Ont.)
9. Stephen Harper (Calgary Southwest, Alta.)
10. Gerald Keddy (South Shore-St. Margaret’s, N.S.)
11. James Lunney (Nanaimo-Alberni, B.C.)
12. Peter MacKay (Central Nova, N.S.)
13. Cathy McLeod (Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo, B.C.)
14. Larry Miller (Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound, Ont.)
15. Tilly O’Neill-Gordon (Miramichi, N.B.)
16. Jim Prentice (Calgary Centre-North, Alta.)
17. Scott Reid (Lanark-Frontenac-Lennox Addington, Ont.)
18. Blake Richards (Wild Rose, Alta.)
19. Lee Richardson (Calgary Centre, Alta.)
20. Gary Schellenberger (Perth-Wellington, Ont.)
21. Joy Smith (Kildonan-St. Paul, Man.)
22. Brian Storseth (Westlock-St. Paul, Alta.)
23. Greg Thompson (New Brunswick Southwest, N.B.)
24. Josée Verner (Louis-Saint-Laurent, Que.)
24. Terrence Young (Oakville, Ont.)

Conservatives: Paired

Pairing is the arranging, by the party whips, for two MPs, one of them from the governing party and the other from one of the opposition parties, to agree to abstain from voting on a particular occasion in order to permit one or both to be absent from the House. Their votes are thus effectively neutralized and the relative strength of their parties in the House is maintained.

1. Dean Allison (Niagara West-Glanbrook)
2. Dona Cadman (Surrey North, B.C.)
3. Lawrence Cannon (Pontiac, Que.)
4. Stockwell Day (Okanagan-Coquihalla, B.C.)
5. Bob Dechert (Mississauga-Erindale, Ont.)
6. Peter Kent (Thornhill, Ont.)
7. Daryl Kramp (Prince Edward-Hastings, Ont.)
8. Inky Mark (Dauphin-Swan River-Marquette, Man.)
9. Gerry Ritz (Battlefords-Lloydminster, Sask.)
10. Andrew Saxton (North Vancouver, B.C.)
11. John Weston (West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast, B.C.)
12. Alice Wong (Richmond, B.C.)

Liberals: Absent

1. Scott Andrews (Avalon, Nfld.)
2. Navdeep Bains (Mississauga-Brampton South, Ont.)
3. Mauril Bélanger (Ottawa-Vanier, Ont.)
4. Carolyn Bennett (St. Paul’s, Ont.)
5. Maurizio Bevilacqua (Vaughan, Ont.)
6. Gerry Byrne (Humber-St. Barbe-Baie Verte, Nfld.)
7. Denis Coderre (Bourassa, Que.)
8. Stéphane Dion (Saint-Laurent-Cartierville, Que.)
9. Mark Eyking (Sydney-Victoria, N.S.)
10. Hedy Fry (Vancouver Centre, B.C.)
11. Mark Holland (Ajax-Pickering, Ont.)
12. Marlene Jennings (Notre-Dame-de-Grâce-Lachine, Que.)
13. Jim Karygiannis (Scarborough-Agincourt, Ont.)
14. Lawrence MacAulay (Cardigan, P.E.I.)
15. Gurbax Malhi (Bramalea-Gore-Malton, Ont.)
16. Keith Martin (Esquimalt-Juan de Fuca, B.C.)
17. David McGuinty (Ottawa South, Ont.)
18. Joyce Murray (Vancouver Quadra, B.C.)
19. Rob Oliphant (Don Valley West, Ont.)
20. Massimo Pacetti (Saint-Léonard-Saint-Michel, Que.)
21. Bernard Patry (Pierrefonds-Dollard, Que.)
22. Yasmin Ratansi (Don Valley East, Ont.)
23. Geoff Regan (Halifax West, N.S.)
24. Michael Savage (Darmouth-Cole Harbour, N.S.)
25. Mario Silva (Davenport, Ont.)
26. Paul Szabo (Mississauga South, Ont.)
27. Bryon Wilfert (Richmond Hill, Ont.)

Keywords: government