It only accounts for 45 minutes of a workday that sometimes lasts more than 10 hours. But Question Period in the House of Commons is the public’s main window into the daily goings on in Parliament.
In 1949, almost a decade before he would be elected prime minister of Canada, John Diefenbaker proclaimed, “Parliament is more than procedure – it is the custodian of the nation’s freedom.”
Twenty-two years later, the former leader said, “The quality of debate in the House is deplorable. You watch today and count how many read from prepared texts.”
We can only imagine the words Diefenbaker would use to describe modern-day proceedings in the Commons – the storied chamber where Canada’s elected representatives question, amend and vote on legislation that rules the country.
MPs and ministers don’t often use their allotted 35 seconds to stimulate thought or debate. Instead, their questions or answers frequently appear crafted with sound bites, quips, insults, and one-liners in mind.
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Debates in Parliament have only the superficial form of actual debate and long ago ceased being a way to inform, question, suggest amendments and try to change someone’s mind with logic, sound arguments and facts: No one on the Government side or the Opposition side is ready or able to change their minds based on what happens in ” Question Period ” and it’s mostly an exercise of feuding talking points and refusing to admit to any mistake(s), rethink sacred cows or change fossilized positions. ( One reason the Liberals where/are DOOMED as long as they can’t leave the 1960′s ).
Maybe in ancient times the Greeks and Romans could change policy because of someone using effective rhetoric, charisma and debating skills. Even as recently as the time of Churchill a clever word or ridicule could be a ” game changer “, today Parliament is just an echo chamber and if any changing of minds or accepting ideas occurs it is probably in secret or private or informal meetings where one hand washes the other ….. but Question Period is antiquated and useless, since it being televised it has devolves to creating 30 second sound bites for the evening news.