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How should political parties be playing nice between elections?
Green Party leader Elizabeth May told The Hill Times this week that “When we’re not in election mode, parties should stop trying to kill each other.” There’s a statement. She was referring to the ongoing partisanship and very personal attacks parties have been hurling at each other since the last election campaign which have continued into Parliamentary work.
“Parliament will work better when partisanship is checked at the door,” she said. “We are elected as Parliamentarians. There’s nothing about the constitution of Canada that requires that Parliamentarians represent political parties. What we are supposed to do is represent constituents, and I think reducing the partisan strife within Parliament would make a huge difference … at least setting an atmosphere of respectful communication.”
Ms. May says she has been calling for more cooperation and respectful dialogue among Parliamentarians since she was elected to the House of Commons last year, and it’s the reason she invited Independent MP Bruce Hyer (Thunder Bay-Superior North, Ont.) and Liberal MP Stéphane Dion (Saint-Laurent-Cartierville, Que.) to speak at this year’s Green Party national convention in B.C., however odd that may seem.
To combat this, one Mr. Hyer’s solutions is to introduce legislation proposing the seats in the House of Commons be scrambled so MPs are not in party blocks and legislation to allow cross party co-sponsorship of private members bills last session.
So, if parties should stop trying to kill each other when not in election mode, what should they be doing? That’s this week’s challenge. How can parties get along better? Write a headline about what political parties are doing between elections instead of killing each other.
For example: “Polls show parties that golf together are less snarky to each other in the House. It must be the beer.”
Remember, no Kumbaya references, and don’t forget the #HTQuizzyChallenge hashtag to make your entry count! Contest closes Friday at noon, with the winning retweet on Monday. The winner gets a six-month subscription to The Hill Times.
UPDATE:
Last week’s Quizzical Twitter Challenge didn’t generate interest. After Green Party Leader Elizabeth May said parties should stop “trying to kill each other” between elections, The Hill Times wanted to hear some proposed ways to have parties get along better. But no one else didn’t, it seems. Is that a sign of how the #cdnpoli Twitterverse doesn’t want to see MPs playing nice between elections? Ouch. To keep the challenge positive, The Hill Times is extending this particular challenge by another week, in addition to this week’s new challenge. Send us your answers! Don’t forget to use the #HTQuizzyChallenge hashtag!
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How should political parties be playing nice between elections?
Green Party leader Elizabeth May told The Hill Times this week that “When we’re not in election mode, parties should stop trying to kill each other.” There’s a statement. She was referring to the ongoing partisanship and very personal attacks parties have been hurling at each other since the last election campaign which have continued into Parliamentary work.
“Parliament will work better when partisanship is checked at the door,” she said. “We are elected as Parliamentarians. There’s nothing about the constitution of Canada that requires that Parliamentarians represent political parties. What we are supposed to do is represent constituents, and I think reducing the partisan strife within Parliament would make a huge difference … at least setting an atmosphere of respectful communication.”
Ms. May says she has been calling for more cooperation and respectful dialogue among Parliamentarians since she was elected to the House of Commons last year, and it’s the reason she invited Independent MP Bruce Hyer (Thunder Bay-Superior North, Ont.) and Liberal MP Stéphane Dion (Saint-Laurent-Cartierville, Que.) to speak at this year’s Green Party national convention in B.C., however odd that may seem.
To combat this, one Mr. Hyer’s solutions is to introduce legislation proposing the seats in the House of Commons be scrambled so MPs are not in party blocks and legislation to allow cross party co-sponsorship of private members bills last session.
So, if parties should stop trying to kill each other when not in election mode, what should they be doing? That’s this week’s challenge. How can parties get along better? Write a headline about what political parties are doing between elections instead of killing each other.
For example: “Polls show parties that golf together are less snarky to each other in the House. It must be the beer.”
Remember, no Kumbaya references, and don’t forget the #HTQuizzyChallenge hashtag to make your entry count! Contest closes Friday at noon, with the winning retweet on Monday. The winner gets a six-month subscription to The Hill Times.
UPDATE:
Last week’s Quizzical Twitter Challenge didn’t generate interest. After Green Party Leader Elizabeth May said parties should stop “trying to kill each other” between elections, The Hill Times wanted to hear some proposed ways to have parties get along better. But no one else didn’t, it seems. Is that a sign of how the #cdnpoli Twitterverse doesn’t want to see MPs playing nice between elections? Ouch. To keep the challenge positive, The Hill Times is extending this particular challenge by another week, in addition to this week’s new challenge. Send us your answers! Don’t forget to use the #HTQuizzyChallenge hashtag!
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