Beyond The Commons

 Beyond The Commons

Aaron Wherry covers all the goings-on in and around Parliament Hill. Follow Aaron on Twitter: @aaronwherry

Categories: Beyond The Commons, Capital Read

The audacity of youth (II)

by Aaron Wherry on Tuesday, November 10, 2009 11:23am - 14 Comments

The video report that resulted from those student journalists asking all those pesky questions last week.

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  • Foreigner

    Even describing it as "heckling" makes it sound cute. It's more like braying.

  • hosertohoosier

    Boo, heckling should stay. It makes our parliament more colourful, gives lowly backbenchers a sort of collective voice they aren't going to be granted normally, helps keep members engaged (I suspect we would have lots of people doze off without heckling), and promotes an environment of debate rather than one of speech-making (which is how I would characterize the dominant strand in the US congress).

    Of course it has only been decided that heckling is bad and sexist now that the Conservatives are in office – just as the anti-war left only decided they were against the war in Afghanistan in 2006, and environmentalists realized Canada's record was horrible in that same year.

    The notion that heckling is sexist is itself, sexist. It contains within it a notion that women are wilting flowers who cannot deal with any sort of acrimony. It is a view that, if true, ironically defends the low share of female MP's in parliament. Politics as a vocation is the very definition of acrimony – if women can't take it (and I think that they most certainly CAN – I am merely taking the argument in question to its logical conclusion) then we shouldn't expect to find them in the highest offices of this land.

    • http://coyne kc

      Women should just suck it up eh…bitch, cow, slut, dog are not in any way personal or demeaning at all. By your logic they should take out the ladies washroom in the house too. Women should stand up and pee like a man…
      I’m not sure i want to see heckling banned either. I happen to think human beings are capable of restraint and common courtesy. If there’s some leadership that is. Whatever happened to the wit of yesteryear?…John C where are you?

      • Dakota

        There is a difference between slander and heckling, if you have trouble with understanding the difference I'm sure you can look it up. Besides, it’s not only women that can be overly sensitive; there are plenty of men who do a lot of crying and whining. Right kc?

        • http://coyne kc

          ‘There is a difference between slander and heckling, if you have trouble with understanding the difference I’m sure you can look it up”

          Do you know what irony means D… if you have trouble with understanding the difference I’m sure you can look it up”.

          ” Besides, it’s not only women that can be overly sensitive; there are plenty of men who do a lot of crying and whining. Right kc”

          I’ll take that as a compliment fom you D.

      • hosertohoosier

        What you are talking about is, I believe, unparliamentary language, and of course, rules against it should be enforced. That doesn't mean we need to get rid of heckling.

    • http://intensedebate.com/people/Douglass Douglass

      Come on! Heckling may have its place in the house, but sexist slurs certainly do not. To excuse it…..? How would you explain how this type of behavior to your daughter, or to your Granddaughter? How can we expect little girls of tomorrow to want to grow up to work in Parliament when they have to listen to this type of ridicule and abuse.

      Don't you want better?

  • http://intensedebate.com/people/Douglass Douglass

    Well done on behalf of the reporters. The interviews really give you a feel for the different ways that the parties think on this issue. I hope to see more from these young reporters.

  • Dee

    Good stuff. These students seem to be outdoing the "pros".

    • hosertohoosier

      Yes, most Canadians wish ordinary newsmen would have the courage to stand up for MP's whose feelings were hurt, and the journalistic integrity to devote about five seconds to those who oppose their obvious slant.

  • http://intensedebate.com/people/Jack_Mitchell Jack Mitchell

    What's missing from the report is video footage of the hecklers heckling. Because what's missing from the House are TV cameras.

    "Heckling is part of politics" . . . like cross-checking is part of hockey.

    • André

      " like cross-checking is part of hockey"

      I was going to say in the sexism debate above that the problem was not sexist comments but rather sexist censorship by heckling.

      I guess cross-checking is a form of censorship as well.

  • Hatch

    Poppy on the right side = epic fail

    Then at the end of the video, the poppy's gone completely.

    • http://intensedebate.com/people/SamDavies SamDavies

      Looks like someone sure was staring at student journalist Leah Germain…..

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