Liberal Minority Government 2025 - ???

[IKnowNothing]

Context re: Question Period Attendance

The more things change, the more they stay the same - from 2015. PM wants to focus on governance and deny the opposition air time, opposition wants his headline fuel and portrays the former as a threat to democracy.

A lot of support for a baseline expectation of 35-45% attendance across our last 4 PM's. With the exception of the last prancing jackanapes, most of that attendance was relegated to handful of questions right at the start solely from opposition leaders. Dear Justin had a flair for the dramatic and liked having a day all about him (Wednesday's to be specific) but that was abnormal.

So Carney is short by 6-16 appearances, 90-320 minutes of accountability time. Hopefully he's there more often this coming year.

 

[brihard]

Context re: Question Period Attendance:

The more things change, the more they stay the same - from 2015. PM wants to focus on governance and deny the opposition air time, opposition wants his headline fuel.

A lot of support for a baseline expectation of 35-45% attendance across our last 4 PM's. With the exception of the last prancing jackanapes, most of that attendance was relegated to handful of questions right at the start solely from opposition leaders.

Dear Justin had a flair for the dramatic and liked having a day all about him, but that was abnormal.

Yeah… I recognize the importance of question question period as an institution in our prominent… But also holy frig is it ever a big stupid waste of time, and that assessment carries regardless of who’s in government. For many years now it’s just devolved to sound byte theatrics.

 

[ytz]

I’m personally glad PM Carney hasn’t called a spring election, but politically it’s surprising. He could almost certainly lock in a safe majority and have four years to run with it. The political types around him in the party apparatus must be fuming.

It's easy to cynical. But I think the dude just doesn't like actual politics that much. He just wants to do some policy wonk stuff and move on.

 

[brihard]

It's easy to cynical. But I think the dude just doesn't like actual politics that much. He just wants to do some policy wonk stuff and move on.

That’s my sense too.

 

[IKnowNothing]

It's easy to cynical. But I think the dude just doesn't like actual politics that much. He just wants to do some policy wonk stuff and move on.

Bang on- and there's a good chance it will be his downfall. Watching him speak in Davos vs. QP and press conferences... speaking to the people does not come naturally , it's almost like "layman" is a 2nd language to him and he's having to actively translate his thoughts on the fly- and he's not good at it.

 

[Czech_pivo]

Bang on- and there's a good chance it will be his downfall. Watching him speak in Davos vs. QP and press conferences... speaking to the people does not come naturally , it's almost like "layman" is a 2nd language to him and he's having to actively translate his thoughts on the fly- and he's not good at it.

You eventually become a product of the environment that you spend the majority of your time in.

Teachers talking to non-teachers don't really come across very well all the time.

Doctors are mostly not known for the 'bedside manners' when talking with their patients

Accountants are thought of as being boring to talk with

Tech workers are considered to be socially challenged when talking to

Artists are thought to be all over the map when talking with them

Remember, Canadian news articles are typically written at between a grade 6 and grade 8 reading level. Carney has a PhD in Economics from Oxford. That's a huge gap to overcome. Much easier for a person like Trudeau/Poilievre with a BA to close that gap.

 

[daftandbarmy]

You eventually become a product of the environment that you spend the majority of your time in.

Is that a shot at Army.ca?

 

[Jarnhamar]

Yeah… I recognize the importance of question question period as an institution in our prominent… But also holy frig is it ever a big stupid waste of time, and that assessment carries regardless of who’s in government. For many years now it’s just devolved to sound byte theatrics.

Great points. It's quite the paradox for us. The only real opportunity for accountability but it's generally a waste of time. Here and there few MPs are called out for ethical violations but Canadians seem happy with said MP admitting they didn't know any better and chalking up the money lost as a rounding error.


If question period doesn't serve a purpose beyond theatrics maybe we should just stop it.

 

[IKnowNothing]

You eventually become a product of the environment that you spend the majority of your time in.

...

Remember, Canadian news articles are typically written at between a grade 6 and grade 8 reading level. Carney has a PhD in Economics from Oxford. That's a huge gap to overcome. Much easier for a person like Trudeau/Poilievre with a BA to close that gap.

The inherent gap is one aspect- but I think the bigger issue is one of skill. He's spent decades operating in an different arena, playing a different game.

It's one thing to address the gap when having an actual good faith discussion. It's another to address the gap when engaging in an adversarial performative dance vying to win the social media vibes war.

 

[Brad Sallows]

The only real opportunity for accountability but it's generally a waste of time.

Almost as if it were gradually nudged to be that way.

 

[Jarnhamar]

We could do something crazy like the Welsh Parliament.

Law to make it illegal to lie in Welsh elections passed

Law to make it illegal to lie in elections passed in Senedd

Welsh parliament agrees law to outlaw lying in future Senedd election campaigns.

www.bbc.com

The Welsh Parliament has passed a law to make it illegal for candidates to lie during Senedd elections.

And a bonus

The bill also establishes a recall system, giving the public the opportunity to kick out politicians who have misbehaved from the Welsh Parliament in between elections.

 

[brihard]

Great points. It's quite the paradox for us. The only real opportunity for accountability but it's generally a waste of time. Here and there few MPs are called out for ethical violations but Canadians seem happy with said MP admitting they didn't know any better and chalking up the money lost as a rounding error.


If question period doesn't serve a purpose beyond theatrics maybe we should just stop it.

I struggle to even call it a mechanism of accountability. It's juts a place where people say stuff and can be sure there's at least one camera going. The only real distinction is they have a pretty high degree of privilege to say whatever they want- but without consequence.

 

[MilEME09]

I struggle to even call it a mechanism of accountability. It's juts a place where people say stuff and can be sure there's at least one camera going. The only real distinction is they have a pretty high degree of privilege to say whatever they want- but without consequence.

Well its question period not answer period, and as you point out parliamentary privilege allows people to get away with alot. Thanks to TV and social media those sound bites, true or not spread, and even if not true get treated as gospel. Reform is definitely needed in the digital age for something designed in the 1800s