Like any other vocation, this job has certain responsibilities.
Put simply, it is the MP's job to consult with his constituents and do his best to reflect their needs and desires.
They are also responsible for developing clear policies on the major issues of the day, communicating those positions to their constituents and voting accordingly.
In fulfilling these duties, democracy is served.
Ultimately, voters can examine their representative's positions and voting record. They can then cast their next ballots either approving or disapproving their elected official's decisions.
By these standards, the MP's of the Liberal Party over the last two years deserve to be terminated - for just cause.
In fact, the Dion Liberals have been doing such a poor job in Parliament that Jack Layton's New Democrats this week asserted that the Liberals have lost the moral right to be Canada's Official Opposition.
Is this a valid charge?
Let's examine the evidence.
In 2006, federal Liberals were elected on a platform they claimed was different than the Conservatives.
Stephane Dion, campaigning hard for the leadership in 2006, said he would lead a party that would oppose the Conservatives in many key areas: on the environment, on fiscal priorities, on social issues, on foreign policy.
But, since assuming the leadership in early 2007, what have the Liberals done?
The environment? Mr. Dion campaigned hard as the "greenest" candidate in the Liberal leadership contest. He even named his dog "Kyoto".
But, when Prime Minister Harper stated he would not meet the Kyoto targets - the Dion Liberals folded.
The budget? After claiming that the Tories' 2007 package was bad for the country with wrong priorities - the Liberals swallowed their principles and refused to oppose it.
Afghanistan? After stating unequivocally that the Liberal position on Afghanistan was that Canada's military mission had to end in 2009 - the Liberals are collapsing and giving the Conservatives everything they want.
On crime? When the Crime Bill was debated last week, the entire Liberal caucus actually walked out of Parliament - all to avoid voting one way or the other.
The 2008 budget? Next week, the Dion Liberals will once again abdicate their principles and duties to Canadian voters. All indications are they will once again vote for this year's Conservative budget - or again sit on their hands and refuse to vote.
In the New Democrats' view, this behaviour is unacceptable.
It is an abdication of responsibility.
It is damaging to the democratic process.
When Canadian's vote, they rightfully expect that the person and party they vote for will faithfully vote in accordance with the platform they campaign on. This is the essence of representative democracy.
Many people I have spoken with recently tell me that the Dion Liberals have little credibility left because of their failure in this regard.
Canadians also know the reason for this: the Liberals fear they will lose the next election - so they are putting their own electoral interests ahead of their responsibility to the voters, their platform and Canadian democracy,
Here in my riding - Vancouver Kingsway - voters are particularly alert to the practice of Liberals putting their own electoral needs ahead of the citizens'.
Voters were outraged when Liberal David Emerson betrayed his Liberal stripe and swallowed his principles, his promises and his own words, to join the Conservatives, within days of being elected.
He did it, of course, to obtain power: a Cabinet seat.
Now, however, we are seeing the entire Liberal federal caucus betray their own platform, their policies and their obligations to the voters, to retain power: their MP seats.
And the stakes are high.
The 2008 budget is about serious policy choices.
The choices that the Harper Conservatives are making - massive corporate tax cuts (totaling $60 billion over 6 years), risking a budget deficit, and neglecting to provide sufficient money for Canada's social and physical infrastructure, health care system and environment - are the wrong ones for our country.
And they will have profound impacts on Canadians, most of whom are working harder than ever, for less real wages, less income security and less social protection.
The New Democrats believe Canada needs long-range and secure funding for better public transit.
We need more resources for immigrant settlement programs.
We need a strategy to deal with large problems in Canada's forest, manufacturing and industrial sectors.
We need a national affordable housing strategy, daycare and better pensions and housing for our seniors.
And the problems are pressing.
The infrastructure deficit alone is estimated at $123 billion.
Canada now ranks last among G8 nations in our doctors to population ratio.
Canadians' ratio of debt to household income is at record levels.
The Tories' have already foreshadowed that their budget will not deal with these issues.
The New Democrats will therefore oppose the Harper budget because it is not wise, nor good for the vast majority of Canadians. The New Democrats will vote consistently with our policies, our platform and in the best interests of Canadian citizens, regardless of whether this will cause an election or not.
That is called political consistency. That is called political courage.
The Dion Liberals say they are opposed to these choices - but they refuse to exercise the courage to act accordingly.
They are more concerned about their own political careers than doing the right thing, or respecting the voters who put them there.
So, have the Dion Liberals lost the moral right to call themselves the Official Opposition?
