NDP leadership candidates have worst attendance records in Parliament

It was one of the knockout punches in last April's English language leadership debate.

Jack Layton looked to then Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff and said: "You know, most Canadians, if they don't show up for work, they don't get a promotion."

Unfortunately, it looks as though the NDP leadership candidates aren't heeding their late boss's words.

According to story by Global News' Amy Minsky, the five sitting MPs vying to become the next NDP leader have been so busy campaigning, they've accrued the the worst attendance records in this Parliament.

Minsky draws on data compiled by howdtheyvote.ca, the non-partisan website which scrapes information from Hansard, the official record of Parliament, to determine how Canada's elected politicians vote and what they've said.

Romeo Saganash, who recently stepped down from the leadership race, has had the most number of absenses at 94, followed by Thomas Mulcair and Paul Dewar with 74.

NDP MP Nathan Cullen is next on the list with 70 absences but defended his record claiming he's been compelled to take part in discussions around proposed pipeline projects.

Further, he said, there is a big difference between him and Ignatieff.

"I have also been running for leader, which Ignatieff was not when he was absent from the Hill," he told Global News.

Meanwhile, political analyst Dale Smith says the Ignatieff bashing isn't fair.

"Let me explain as one of the few reporters who bothers to show up to [Question Period] four days a week," he wrote in his blog.

"Ignatieff was there quite a lot. He didn't vote on a number of bills because he made a policy of not voting on private members' business as a matter of course in order to free the hand of his caucus so that they wouldn't feel compelled to vote like he did on it. Hence, taking "attendance" by checking the voting record was an unfair assessment.

"Not to say that these metrics aren't damning about the NDP leadership candidates...they're pretty much always absent from there too — not just from the votes. In fact, people who follow me on the Twitter Machine will know that I make a note of it if one of those candidates is actually in attendance. And yes, it is an extremely rare occurrence."

Statistics for the 41st Parliament:

1. Romeo Saganash - NDP - 94 absences
2. Maria Mourani - Bloc Quebecois - 82 absences
3. Thomas Mulcair - NDP - 74 absences
3. Paul Dewar - NDP - 74 absences
5. Nathan Cullen - NDP - 70 absences
6. Ed Fast - Conservative - 67 absences
7. Peggy Nash - NDP - 62 absences
8. Niki Ashton - NDP - 61 absences
9. Sana Hassainia - NDP - 60 absences
10. Gerry Ritz - Conservative - 54 absences

SOURCE: howdtheyvote.com