Continuing conversations with Canadians V

Paul Wells of Maclean’s magazine had a column last week advocating for changes to Question Period. He argues that fixing Question Period will help to fix what’s wrong with our country’s politics.

“Question period isn’t the root of what ails our politics. But it is most certainly the hub, the swamp, the KICK ME HERE sign where everything we hate about our politics converges every day. The half-truths, the confected fury, the mayfly attention span, the ritual humiliation of the thoughtful or eccentric. And above all, the waste: of time, energy, hope.”

He offers three suggestions, small in process, but with potentially large impact on outcomes. The first is to increase the amount of time for questions and answers from 35 seconds apiece to 45 seconds apiece. Nobody can say anything worthwhile, whether question or response, in a mere 35 seconds.

The second is to stop allowing ministers to cover for one another, by focusing on particular ministers on particular days. Only the Prime Minister can answer questions directed at the Prime Minister, but the Prime Minister only needs to be there one day a week. And Pierre Poilievre can’t answer questions for everybody.

The third is to move QP to earlier in the day, so that so much time and effort doesn’t go into what essentially serves as a large distraction.

Member of Parliament Glen Pearson responded to the column on his blog, agreeing that Parliament needs to be fixed and QP is the place to start. But he argues that before we even get to the changes suggested by Wells, two other options should be tried first. The Speaker needs to exert more discipline over the behaviour of Members of Parliament during Question Period, as well as using the behind-the-scenes power of the Speaker to coerce all parties into behaving respectfully.

I tend to agree with Wells that QP symbolizes a lot of what’s wrong with Canadian politics, but I’m not sure that simply fixing QP will address all of the problems. A fundamental commitment to dialogue, respect for other points of view, and a willingness to work across party lines for the sake of the common good won’t be cultivated merely by changing the format of Question Period. But treating this time of day dedicated to accountability as a serious endeavour to be approached as adults would be a good start.