{"id":483084,"date":"2026-02-18T13:36:23","date_gmt":"2026-02-18T13:36:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/483084\/"},"modified":"2026-02-18T13:36:23","modified_gmt":"2026-02-18T13:36:23","slug":"deachman-if-only-ottawa-liberal-mps-chose-a-side-on-rto","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/483084\/","title":{"rendered":"Deachman: If only Ottawa Liberal MPs chose a side on RTO"},"content":{"rendered":"

Bruce Fanjoy has already slain one giant. Now he\u2019s doing something arguably rarer in politics: disagreeing with his own party leader.<\/a><\/p>\n

Last spring, the political newcomer defeated Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre in Carleton<\/a>, a result few saw coming. Now the freshman Liberal MP has aimed his sights within his own party, publicly urging the government to reconsider its expanded return-to-office mandate<\/a> for federal public servants.<\/p>\n

Under the new policy, executives will be in the office five days a week beginning in May. Other employees will be required to work in person four days a week starting in July. In a region where roughly 150,000 people work for the federal government, the effects will be far-reaching \u2014 not just in office buildings but on roads, in public transit<\/a>, schools and daycares, and people\u2019s wallets.<\/p>\n

Fanjoy argues the policy will be costly for the government, bad for the environment, and is accompanied by little evidence that its one-size-fits-all approach will improve productivity or service delivery. Further, he raises concerns about how the move will upset many employees\u2019 work-life balance.<\/p>\n

You may agree with him. You may not.<\/p>\n

The point is that he\u2019s taken a clear and public position. It may alienate some colleagues and constituents. It may endear him to others. Regardless, that\u2019s what Carleton voters elected him to do. It\u2019s called representation. If they don\u2019t like it, they can let him know, either now by email and other means, or later at the ballot box.<\/p>\n

Contrast that with the other Liberal MPs in the National Capital Region \u2014 excluding the Prime Minister \u2014 who, when asked by my colleague Ben Andrews, declined to make public statements on the matter<\/a>. And when responding to constituents\u2019 concerns, at least judging by some of the correspondence shared on social media platforms, they seem content to describe the position rather than voice an opinion.<\/p>\n

Ottawa West-Nepean MP Anita Vandenbeld\u2019s office said she would not be issuing a public statement, preferring instead to respond directly to constituents.<\/p>\n

In an email, her office noted that the decision by public service management was made to encourage collaboration and teamwork, but that she has been encouraging \u201cmaximum flexibility,\u201d and will \u201ccontinue to advocate that it makes no sense for public servants to drive to a remote work-station to join with their team virtually.\u201d<\/p>\n

At least she offers a nod to the frustration that many employees share. But it stops short of a clear position.<\/p>\n

Ottawa Centre MP Yasir Naqvi wrote that the government \u201chas made a decision that has given clarity to the federal public service, while also maintaining flexibility,\u201d language that emphasizes clarity and flexibility without taking a position.<\/p>\n

Naqvi did say he has \u201clong advocated for the hybrid workplace for the federal public service\u201d before saying he agrees with the Prime Minister that \u201cin order to live up to this moment, we will need to be laser-focused on building and protecting the Canadian economy.\u201d Again, no indication whether he supports or opposes the return-to-work expansion.<\/p>\n

Kanata MP Jenna Sudds\u2019s reply begins by saying \u201cIt appears like we are moving in the direction of employees returning to full-time and in-person work\u2026\u201d \u2014 phrasing that almost suggests this wasn\u2019t a decision made by elected officials, but more like an approaching weather front. She further says the decision is being made \u201cfor the benefits it brings to local businesses and overall office work performance,\u201d the latter an assertion the government has not publicly substantiated.<\/p>\n

Sudds\u2019s closing line \u2014 offering to \u201cpass these along to my colleagues in future discussions\u201d \u2014 reads less like a position than simply a promise to forward a memo.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, at parliamentary committee last week, Sudds called for \u201cmeaningful flexibility,\u201d<\/a> a phrase so flexible it has no meaning.<\/p>\n

If Fanjoy hadn\u2019t broken ranks and given his own position statement, it would be easier to shrug and say, \u201cWell, that\u2019s party politics.\u201d But he did, and in a city where the consequences of this policy are especially concentrated, it\u2019s fair to ask why the other Liberal MPs aren\u2019t willing to also go on the record and say whether they support or oppose the policy, and why.<\/p>\n

When I was an at-times idealistic teenager trying to understand politics, I remember bristling when my MP mailed questionnaires asking constituents how they felt about contentious issues. Many would have considered it democracy at its finest. To me, it felt like representation by poll \u2014 outsourcing judgment to a checkbox.<\/p>\n

We elect MPs to listen, yes, but also to weigh competing interests, wrestle with hard questions, and ultimately make a decision. Leadership isn\u2019t promising to forward emails or pass along concerns. It\u2019s taking a stand and accepting the consequences. I suspect Bruce Fanjoy will lose his argument within his own party. Voters may punish or reward him for his position. But at least he has one. That\u2019s how representation is supposed to work.<\/p>\n

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