We are in a season of renewal within Saskatchewan politics.
With both parties searching for new leaders, this is a time that we can look forward to new leaders in the coming year.
This is a new opportunity to change the way things are done during question period.
With the lack of respect and many attacks within Question Period unprovoked and senseless, attending the Legislative assembly makes me very uncomfortable.
Watching Cable Public Affairs Channel (CPAC) or clips on the news from Parliament Hill, we see the same thing: a lack of decorum.
Members lay blame and call out taunts and insults during other members’ discussions of issues important to Saskatchewan and Canadian politics.
Elizabeth May, MP for Saanhich-Gulf Island and Leader of the Green Party of Canada, has spoken numerous times to her colleagues about having decorum within the House, there is too much heckling from other members all around the House of Commons.
How does that make any sense?
The goals of government, to govern the best they can and do what is best for Canadians and the people of Saskatchewan, are the same for every MP and MLA respectively, even if their party colours are different.
It is more than just members being over sensitive or unable to handle the boys club and everything that that entails.
I would like to see a study done about how much time is wasted by senseless bickering and see how much time could be better spent deciding on what is best for the country and the province.
Over the past month I have spoken with potential party leaders, and I am curious about their stances on the current level of decorum during Question Period.
They have procedures in the Legislature and Parliament for sensible and respectful discussion, such as addressing the Speaker of the House instead of the members directly and waiting until Mr. Speaker acknowledges your turn to speak.
None of which includes taunts and bickering from across the aisle.
One MLA I spoke with noted that school groups are often in the gallery, there to watch the democratic process.
They are taught at a young age to behave respectfully towards their fellow students and siblings, and yet they come to a place where important government work is done and see members openly harassing their colleagues, just because they come from a different party.
What if this happened in any other workplace besides the House of Commons?
How would office meetings go if anyone could taunt the speaker without repercussions?
It has often been said that this is just for theatrics, but why would we want to have our MLAs or MPs representing themselves in that way?
Saskatchewan Party candidates often say that the candidates they are running against are colleagues first before they are opponents, and that they all work together after the election is over. According to the candidates, this is why debates and discussions have been cordial rather than an actual debate about important issues that these leaders will have to tackle when they become leader of the party.
This is the problem I had with the “debate” in Melfort I covered for newspapers in Humboldt and Tisdale.
We can do both; have deep yet respectful discussions on important issues.
Why is respect something that we save for interparty elections and not for times when thoughtful discussion and decorum are needed on both sides of the House?
No matter what bill is tabled, the MLAs still need to work together, no matter what colour they are. So why can we not have every MLA be a colleague to one another?
We can still have thoughtful discussion and lively debate without taunts, insults, and blame.
As Saskatchewan and Canadian citizens, we should be demanding respectful behaviour and maturity from all MLAs and MPs.
