Resumen de Whose Interests Matter? Representational Priorities among Members of Parliament in communities with high rates of COVID-19

Gabrielle Feldmann

• Through interviews with Members of Parliament (MPs) and an analysis of Statements by Members, this research paper examines the representational priorities and influences of Members of Parliament during the COVID-19 pandemic. It identifies four main representational priorities: the economy and businesses, people with service needs, vulnerable and marginalized populations, and health and long-term care. Through these four priority issues and constituencies, it demonstrates that MPs’ representational priorities are varied, and are influenced by riding characteristics, descriptive characteristics, and MPs’ previous experiences and priorities. It finds that representational priorities are largely resilient to the pandemic, but that the pandemic has led to the emergence of new priority constituencies for MPs.