OTTAWA – An NDP MP wants to sweeten the tune of O Canada in the House of Commons.
Quebec MP Nycole Turmel is proposing that children’s choirs sing the national anthem every Wednesday, instead of MPs.
Turmel says the reason is simple: most Parliamentarians can’t sing.
“Hearing the MPs singing O Canada is not really good for our ears,” said the MP for Hull-Aylmer.
“That would be lovely, that will be televised, and then the school will feel later on in life, one day I sang in the house of Canada.”
The recent tradition of MPs singing once a week at 2 p.m. before question period began in 1995.
Former Reform MP Deborah Grey proposed the idea, which was opposed by the Bloc Quebecois but eventually adopted.
She was the first to lead the anthem in Parliament on Nov. 22, 1995.
“The idea is that O Canada is a nifty thing to do in the Parliament of Canada and it had never been done,” Grey said in an interview.
“I don’t have a problem with it,” Grey said of Turmel’s idea. “What I like is O Canada being sung in the House of Commons. And if kids’ choirs are doing it I’d say, MPs would still be able to sing along.”
Currently, one MP leads the House in singing the anthem by requesting it to the Speaker through their party’s whip.
It’s not the first time choirs would be invited to sing in the House, which according to House of Commons Procedure and Practice has happened four times since 1995.
Turmel, who introduced the motion at procedure committee, said she is open to hearing ideas from her colleagues.
She’s still not sure how often the choirs would visit, if it would be every week, biweekly or once a month.
She said the invitation would be open to choirs that were already planning to visit Ottawa, and the government wouldn’t cover any of the cost.
It’s also not clear if the choirs would sing on the floor of the House, where currently only MPs and the clerk are allowed, or whether they would sing from the gallery or even the foyer.
“I don’t want to create…so much work that there’s no fun anymore,” she said.
The singing, while televised, is closed to the public, because it was originally feared the anthem could “create disorder” as people were filing in to watch question period.
Conservative MP Joe Preston, who chairs the procedure and house affairs committee, said it’s a good idea, but he also enjoys the current practice.
“I think that there’s something to be said about not breaking that tradition and having members of Parliament show a little patriotism every now and again too, even with our bad voices singing the national anthem every Wednesday,” he said.
He added, “Having participated in singing in the House with my voice, it may be a favour to the country to do so.”
If the change goes ahead, Preston suggested people should be allowed to watch it live from the gallery. “If we’re trying to make it better, then we better make it available to the public. That they can see this happening too.”
Preston and Turmel said they are meeting with Speaker Andrew Scheer’s office to go over details and will revisit the issue when Parliament resumes in January. Turmel said she’d like the practice to be implemented for the fall. It needs a majority to pass in committee.
The only Liberal who sits on the committee, Winnipeg MP Kevin Lamoureux, said it’s an interesting concept, but he thinks it needs to be better thought through.
“You can’t say blindly, yeah let’s pass this motion, when in reality we don’t know or understand the consequences of it,” he said.
“The biggest concern I have is how is it determined which school it’s going to be.”
Comments