Hill Life & People
Horseshoe shape proven lucky for reduced partisanship in parallel U.K. Chamber, House Affairs Committee hears
By Emily Haws Mar. 11, 2019
NDP MP David Christopherson says the U.K.’s horseshoe design is a good idea to help shift the dynamic, but Tory vice-chair Stephanie Kusie still isn't convinced Canada needs a parallel Chamber at all.
Liberal MPs Chris Bittle and Linda Lapointe sit on the Procedure and House Affairs Committee, which is studying having parallel House of Commons chambers. Already used in the United Kingdom and Australia, parallel chambers tend to focus more on private member's business, and some say Canada should have one after the Centre Block renovations. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade
The shape of a secondary House of Commons Chamber should be considered if Canada is to build one, former United Kingdom House clerk David Natzler told the Procedure and House Affairs Committee, saying the design of the British space seems to bring a more informal and less partisan tone.
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