To suggest Prince Albert MP Randy Hoback is a victim of circumstances would be inaccurate.
Really, he’s nothing more than a victim of cold, hard political reality.
Those fortunate enough to be elected as government members — be it at the federal of provincial level — are often destined to the misfortune of then being elected to serve in opposition.
Neither option is within a candidate’s control. Which side of the assembly you get to exercise your own, your party’s or your constituents’ views is left to the fate and wisdom of the electorate as whole.
However, there are a couple of things that are more certain.
If you are a politician, being elected — either to government or opposition — sure as hell beats not being elected. It is only by acquiring the approval of the local electorate that you have any voting say on public policy.
And Hoback — one of 10 mostly rural Conservative MPs from Saskatchewan to be elected last October — seems well aware that he is one of the fortunate few.
However, the other certainty is that it’s always easier to be elected as an opposition MP before
Being elected as a government … even if it doesn’t always seem that way.
Sure, there are times when the work of a government backbencher may seem like the ideal political job.
Generally, you are not burdened with the same responsibilities as your colleagues on the government side (burdened with a tremendous responsibility or your foes in opposition (burdened without that responsibility of spending taxpayers’ money, but requiring a far broader knowledge base without the same resources to acquire that knowledge).
For Hoback — first elected in 2008 as a member of Harper’s then minority government — that has been the situation for his eight-year-political career.
With the exception of a select few like former agriculture ministers Gerry Ritz or now Moose Jaw-Lake Centre-Lanigan MP Tom Lukiwski, designated to defend Stephen Harper government policies, few government backbenchers were heard.
Although, some like Yorkton-Melville MP Gary Breitkreuz of re-elected Cypress Hills MP David Anderson were vocal when it came to fulfilling opposition-days promises like ending the long-gun registry or the Canadian Wheat Board as a single-desk seller.
(As previously mentioned, being first elected to opposition holds many advantages — one them being, triumphantly announcing changes advocated as opposition members.)
Of course, there were less favourable aspects of the job like also having to explain the failed 2006 Conservative promise to remove non-renewable resources from equalization formula.
However, the beauty of being one of many rank and file backbench MPs is that it’s relatively easy to steer clear of the media until such controversies blow over.
The job tends to be confined to ribbon cuttings and getting re-elected so that the government can either achieve or maintain a majority.
But as an elected opposition MP, Conservatives like Hoback must now re-invent themselves as something more than the local political representative in government.
They must still be all that, but they also must be someone who can reach out to voters beyond their constituency. Then must demonstrate why Conservatives are again worthy of the trust of the nation as whole.
“It’s a struggle. No question,” Hoback said in a recent interview.
One of the most difficult parts might very well be reaching out to voters — many of them, urban voters from larger cities across the nation that share less with Saskatchewan constituents. Hoback admitted.
For that, MPs like Hoback may rely on past private sector experiences, like his work for Flexicoil that took him to South America and allowed him to develop some knowledge in foreign policy in that region.
But, generally, it means listening — albeit to a wider audience that might not automatically share the views and concerns of your constituents.
For Hoback and other Conservative MPs, it’s like starting over.
Murray Mandryk has been covering provincial politics for over 22 years.
