Parliament

Private Members

The term "Private Member" refers to any Member in either the Senate or the House of Commons, sitting with the Government or the Opposition, who does not hold an office or a partisan leadership position. Also called "backbenchers" because they do not usually sit in the first row, these parliamentarians constitute the vast majority of the membership in the Senate and the House of Commons.

While most of the business debated in Parliament is sponsored by the Government, Private Members also have the opportunity to bring forward their own initiatives for consideration by their respective Houses. Any Private Member proposing a bill must make sure that it does not involve the expenditure of public money, as such bills can only be sponsored by a Minister in the House of Commons.

In the Senate, individual Senators have a variety of opportunities to bring matters of particular concern before the entire Senate on any sitting day. With one or two days' notice, a Senator can launch a debate or an inquiry that is non-votable, seek to establish a committee to investigate any topic falling within federal jurisdiction or present a bill for adoption by Parliament.

In the House of Commons, consideration of business proposed by Private Members is limited to five hours each week. As in the Senate, these items of business can include motions or bills. Private Members must manage a series of steps in competition with other Members that tends to limit the number of Private Members' motions or bills that are actively voted upon during the course of a parliamentary session. Nonetheless, Private Members' Business is an important vehicle for airing the concerns or preoccupations of parliamentarians and the citizens they represent.

It is generally argued that backbenchers have three main duties to fulfill:

1. Parliamentary Duties - these include attending parliament and supporting their frontbench colleagues, participating in debates on legislation or other formal occasions, such as Matters of Public Importance, Urgency Debates, Adjournment Debates, and the like. Backbenchers also contribute to debate in their caucuses and participate in the election of leaders.
2. Electorate Duties - these include dealing with constitutent inquiries, complaints and problems, particularly in areas such as employment insurance, immigration and other matters related to the federal government. As the local member, a backbencher needs to be seen to be an active participant in the life of their community, attending civic, business, cultural and sporting functions, and liaising with groups in the electorate.
3. Party Duties - these include attending branch meetings within the electorate and beyond. Backbenchers know that their pre-selection depends in part on the support of local party members.

The work of a backbench member of parliament will often vary depending on two main factors:

1. Electoral margin - a member in a safe electorate may be able to devote more time to parliamentary and party commitments, secure in the knowledge that they are unlikely to lose the seat at the next election.
2. Government or Opposition - a member whose party is in government may find it easier to "bring home the bacon" for their electorate because of their easier access to ministers, although members may find they are the focus of attention from all sides if their electoral margin is slim.

While individually, backbenchers do not have much power to influence government policy, collectively they can sometimes exercise considerable power especially in cases where the policies of the government are unpopular or when a governing party is internally split.

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• Private Members' Public Bills Passed by Parliament
• Members of the House of Commons: Their Role