Hmmm, how did we get to the sad state of affairs where the legislature is the verbal equivalent of an MMA ring?
I do not much pay close attention to the proceedings in the federal and Ontario legislatures these days. It is not that I am indifferent to what happens in these forums. Important decisions are made there that directly impact our lives. The problem for me is that the proceedings often degenerate into political posturing, name-calling and childish insults that leave me shaking my head.
Case in point: This past week federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre criticized Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for allegedly supporting moves in British Columbia to decriminalize some hard drugs in an attempt to reduce the number of overdose-related deaths. He did so in language that degraded himself and his party: When will we put an end to this wacko policy by this wacko prime minister?
The Speaker of the House ruled that the comment was unparliamentary and asked Poilievre four times to withdraw it. Poilievre declined each time – offering the alternative words extremist or radical.
The Speaker accordingly booted him out of the House for the balance of the sitting which Poilievre knew full well would happen. He is anglinig for media coverage at any cost. He continued his tirade on social media: This is a wacko policy from a wacko PM that’s destroying lives.
Liberal parliamentarian Steven MacKinnon, who is in charge of government business in the House, was quoted as saying that the incident had been a disgrace and showed a disrespect for institutions. Really? No shit, Sherlock!
It needs to be said that Trudeau does not hesitate to get his own licks in with regard to his rival. He has accused him of being an extremist, of being a Donald Trump supporter and of spending time with far-right groups.
The sad reality is that it no longer matters what issue is being debated. The immutable rule of party politics is: Whatever the other guy says or does is by definition wrong, self-serving and downright dangerous. I repeat: It no longer matters what issue is being debated.
If you are one of the opposition party leaders, the rules of engagement dictate that you must attack the leader of the party in power twice as vehemently and below the belt. This is seen as the only and inevitable path to victory in the next election whenever that may be.
The political arena has become an unending and no-holds-barred witch hunt. Whether you are the party in power or one of the opposition parties, your rival across the floor must be demonized unrelentingly. Being reprimanded or tossed out for your behaviour has become a badge of honour.
The floor of the legislature is no longer a place of honour and decorum. It is the verbal equivalent of a Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) battleground where the rules of order exist only to be violated. Pierre Poilievre is the worst example of this type of behaviour. The sad part of the matter is that it is this very behaviour that may earn him the PM’s seat after the next election.
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Tags: federal legislature · metaphor · Michael Robert Dyet · Pierre Poilievre · politicsNo Comments