To the editor:
I would like to submit the following comments regarding the article by Bruce Hyer in the Dec. 17 issue of the Source.
Our local MP, Bruce Hyer, made some good suggestions for improving the level of debate in question period and Parliament generally.
While there has always been a partisan cut and thrust character to MP behaviour in the House, it has become excessive in recent times. Why is this so?
The primary reason rests with the current prime minister and the Conservative Party.
Any reasonable assessment of Stephen Harper’s personality and leadership style would conclude that under his guidance, partisan wedge politics has dominated every action he and his government takes.
On numerous occasions, he has violated his own self-proclaimed values.
Following the 2008 election, he pronounced his desire to co-operate and consult with the opposition parties and to respect the rights of Parliament.
But within weeks, he was doing everything he could to ensure a lack of co-operation and taking actions that would violate parliamentary practices (for example, by directing Conservative MPs to obstruct the work of House committees and, most importantly, shutting down Parliament to avoid being “accountable to Parliament assembled”).
One change that Mr. Hyer didn’t identify would involve giving the Speaker of the House greater powers to manage debate in the House. Changes made in previous years seriously weakened the speaker’s authority.
Until civility is restored and extreme partisanship tempered, Canadians can only expect more of this debilitating behaviour from our elected representatives.
I would like to submit the following comments regarding the article by Bruce Hyer in the Dec. 17 issue of the Source.
Our local MP, Bruce Hyer, made some good suggestions for improving the level of debate in question period and Parliament generally.
While there has always been a partisan cut and thrust character to MP behaviour in the House, it has become excessive in recent times. Why is this so?
The primary reason rests with the current prime minister and the Conservative Party.
Any reasonable assessment of Stephen Harper’s personality and leadership style would conclude that under his guidance, partisan wedge politics has dominated every action he and his government takes.
On numerous occasions, he has violated his own self-proclaimed values.
Following the 2008 election, he pronounced his desire to co-operate and consult with the opposition parties and to respect the rights of Parliament.
But within weeks, he was doing everything he could to ensure a lack of co-operation and taking actions that would violate parliamentary practices (for example, by directing Conservative MPs to obstruct the work of House committees and, most importantly, shutting down Parliament to avoid being “accountable to Parliament assembled”).
One change that Mr. Hyer didn’t identify would involve giving the Speaker of the House greater powers to manage debate in the House. Changes made in previous years seriously weakened the speaker’s authority.
Until civility is restored and extreme partisanship tempered, Canadians can only expect more of this debilitating behaviour from our elected representatives.
Tom Joseph,
Thunder Bay
