The Election Is Over — Cue the Photo Ops, But Not So Fast…

With Mark Carney’s win, Canada welcomes a Prime Minister with global experience, deep networks, and the kind of calm, mature leadership the world will pay attention to — not just for Canada’s sake, but for the greater global good.

 

Now back home, our newly elected (and re-elected) Members of Parliament are preparing to assume their roles. For incumbents, it’s business as usual. For new MPs, it’s a mix of excitement, nerves, and figuring out where the coffee machine is.

In South Asian communities especially, the drill begins fast:

• Photo sessions kick off.
• Summer events start rolling.
• And let’s be honest, a party or concert isn’t considered “official” unless an MP is there handing out certificates.

Some “community leaders” who played neutral during the election and hedged their bets now suddenly become the best friends of the winning team. It’s a tale as old as democracy itself. For many new MPs, just showing up and smiling at local events feels like mission accomplished. “We’re connecting with the people,” they say. Job well done.

But come on, haven’t we all seen this movie before?

Time flies. Two, maybe two and a half years in, the machine restarts.
Canvassing.
Volunteer drives.
Fundraisers.
The full nine yards of re-election campaigns.

But is this really what MPs are elected to do?
Is this what Canadian taxpayers are sending them to Parliament for?

Let’s take a breath and look at what an MP should be doing , and how each of us (yes, especially those who didn’t vote for the winning party) can make a real impact by holding them accountable.

Local (Constituency) Office Duties:

• Constituent Services
  Help people navigate federal programs: immigration, EI, pensions, CRA, etc.

• Community Engagement
  Show up at meaningful events, not just festivals. Listen. Learn. Act.

• Local Advocacy
  Push for funding, federal attention, and support for key regional projects.

Federal-Level Responsibilities (House of Commons):

• Legislation
  Propose, debate, and vote on laws that impact all of us.

• Constituent Representation
  Raise real issues from your riding in Parliament.

• Government Oversight
  Hold the government accountable — especially important for opposition MPs.

• Committee Work
  Dive deep into policy. Ask tough questions. Shape the future.

So SUMMER PARTIES and PRINTED CERTIFICATES don’t count as public service.

Following up with your MP matters. A lot.

• Write to them. Call their office. Book a meeting.
• Ask what they’ve done between elections.
• Push them to deliver. Remind them: this job wasn’t given, it was earned, and it’s still being earned every day.

In fact, if you didn’t vote for the winning party, you might be in the best position to keep your MP on their toes.

Let’s stop watching the same movie every few years,  and start rewriting the script.

This is how we build the future — not through partisanship, but through participation.

More to come soon…