OTTAWA — The NDP is urging the Speaker of the House to punish MPs who disrespect or disregard his warnings to calm down and behave appropriately in Commons by taking away their right to ask questions in the Commons.
“The Speaker already has the tools to make this happen,” New Democrat House leader said Monday. “What is lacking is the political will.”
Cullen recalled a promise his party made during the election last year — to work to fix Ottawa and make the “cornerstone of our democracy” a respectable chamber.
But just a few minutes into Monday’s question period, the NDP was fingered for unparliamentary behaviour after a question from MP Charlie Angus.
“The Canadian Association of journalists has just voted the Conservative government the most secretive in Canadian history,” Angus said before ripping into Treasury Board President Tony Clement. “Look at the minister they put in charge of spinning the openness – the Muskoka minister who ran a $50 million slush fund through his constituency office.”
In turn, Government House leader Peter Van Loan rose: “It was seven minutes ago that the House leader for the NDP stood up and talked about a new decorum,” he said. “He talked about putting an end to name-calling, treat people with respect, call them by their proper title… I encourage the House leader for the NDP to get his own side to follow.”
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The NDP proposed Speaker of the House Andrew Scheer prohibit MPs or their parties from asking questions if they ignore his frequent calls for order.
“Canadians cannot yell and scream and heckle or harass or behave like a schoolyard bully at their place of work,” Cullen said. “So why, at the cornerstone of our democracy, do so many MPs continue to behave as though that’s normal?”
The Speaker has the power to punish MPs who hurl insults and catcall while sitting in the Commons. “The Speaker is always keen to hear ideas from members on how to improve decorum in the House,” Scheer’s spokeswoman wrote in response to an email asking whether he might consider getting harsher on disobedient MPs.
Cullen acknowledged that his party has at times, failed to lead by example, with Manitoba MP Pat Martin using his BlackBerry to broadcast profanities from his seat in the Commons, for example.
So, any new standards would also apply to the New Democrats, Cullen said. Should a member of the New Democrats cause a disturbance in the House and refuse to heed warnings from the Speaker, they, too, would lose the opportunity to ask questions during question period.
The penalty would affect the Conservatives too, Cullen said, even though opposition parties in the House ask the majority of questions during the daily question period.
Those “planted questions,” often read by a backbencher to a minister, are coveted, Cullen said, suggesting it would be a blow to the Conservatives to lose the opportunity to highlight a policy or announcement.
“We are not against passionate debate,” Cullen stressed before adding there is a “proper way” to do it.
Last week, when asked to explain their plan for Afghanistan, the Conservatives repeatedly accused the NDP of opposing Canada’s entry into World War II. Of course, the NDP first appeared on the federal scene in 1961, more than 20 years after Canada deployed troops to fight the Nazis.
The government had been referring to the NDP’s predecessor, the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation, and its leader’s reluctance to “risk the lives” of Canadian soldiers to fight off Adolf Hitler.
The leader, J.S. Woodsworth was the only member of the CCF caucus to vote against sending Canadian troops overseas.
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