—very attached to their member's office, even if the studies show that they don't consult their MP all that often. Except that the citizens know that their member is in the region, that he's attending spaghetti dinners, that he's studying and defending various projects. They know that he's very active. Candidates form a direct link with the population during their election campaigns. I think it's this link that people are attached to.
So, as for representing the people, the party is in a paradoxical position. Basically, the party aggregates interests, meaning that it assembles the interests, creates a platform, seeks votes from people during elections. I'm sorry, but no matter which party is in power, the member who is elected no longer represents only the people who voted for his party. He must represent the interests of the entire population of his riding, not just the part of the population who voted for him.