Tory Leader Hugh McFadyen says question period -- and much of the Manitoba legislature's internal workings -- is stacked against the opposition and in need of reform.
"My sense is that the legislature just isn't working, that the primary function of the elected legislature to hold the government to account has been eroded," McFadyen said. "Our ability to get the most basic information is often stymied."
McFadyen is calling for a top-to-bottom overhaul of all the rules and policies of the legislature with an eye to making sure backbench MLAs -- even the faceless NDP ones -- have more input into policy and legislation.
He wants to start question period earlier in the day -- perhaps at 11 a.m. rather than 1:30 p.m. -- and shorten it by 10 minutes to half an hour so that questions and daily themes are more focused, so there are quality questions over quantity. And he wants to place strict time limits on questions and answers so party leaders, including the loquacious McFadyen, have to get to the point.
Even though it accounts for a fraction of what MLAs do, QP is the central event of the legislature's day. It's what the media covers and it's where any percolating public issues -- car theft, diagnostic mistakes by pathologists, the Manitoba Hydro power line -- tend to coalesce. Opposition MLAs spend a lot of time researching and crafting gotcha questions, and cabinet ministers come fully armed with briefing books and a menu of zingy retorts to any query.
But QP has been gripped by the doldrums lately, possibly part of the natural hunkering down that happens when an election is still three long years away. Meanwhile, the traditional heckling that's often the most exciting part of QP has claimed some casualties. Last week, a Tory MLA was accused of anti-aboriginal racism for an offhand quip lobbed at the NDP even though the remark had nothing to do with First Nations people.
Though it's traditionally been central to democratic accountability, QP has lost a lot of its relevance, says University of Manitoba political scientist Paul Thomas.
What little the public sees -- the yelling, the partisan questions, the non-answers -- tend to turn people off and reinforce the cynical attitude they harbour about politicians.
"It's probably not been as bad as it is today, in this era of spin where ministers work out beforehand what they'll say and how they'll say it," said Thomas, who often tunes in to QP on cable access. "Question Period has taken on this ritualistic quality."
Thomas said he'd like to see politicians on both sides of the aisle work a little harder to elevate the debate and offer citizens a genuine exchange of information on the substance of issues.
"There are huge, vast portions of government that just get no scrutiny," he said.
Justice Minister Dave Chomiak, the house leader, says he's open to reform, and some ideas have already been discussed among his counterparts in the Tory and Liberal caucuses.
"I think we'll see a crisper and better Question Period evolve," Chomiak said. "The house leaders have been working on it."
Chomiak has already floated the idea of a shorter question period. And Ontario recently moved its QP from the afternoon to the morning, in part to help politicians with families to get home at a reasonable hour. That spawned outrage from the Ontario opposition, but Chomiak said he's open to the idea.
He says, despite the inevitable doldrums that have gripped the legislature, democracy is actually working better in the house now than it has in the past. The public accounts committee, which watchdogs most spending, ran as smoothly as it ever has last year, as did the department-by-department budget estimates over the last few weeks. Those committees tend to be more collegial and are often where MLAs get straight answers to their questions.
Chomiak also says Question Period is by nature the opposition's forum, and they dictate the tone and content.
McFadyen acknowledged his opposition hasn't been as effective as it could be under the dome, saying his caucus can always "pull up its socks." But he said there's been a gradual chipping away at MLA's access to information.
Chomiak rejects one of McFadyen's suggestions, though -- that committees be given more power to call outside witnesses and question civil servants, much like parliamentary committees do. That would be particularly useful on highly technical issues such as hydro power lines, where information tends to come out in dribs and drabs.
But Chomiak says that risks creating a public farce like Ottawa's Mulroney-Schreiber hearings last year. And he said forcing civil servants to testify in a highly political arena could cause a chill among bureaucrats. It's the ministers, not the civil servants, who are accountable to the legislature, so ministers should answer the questions, Chomiak said.
maryagnes.welch@freepress.mb.ca
Question Period Primer
What: The daily duel between opposition and the government.
When: At 1:30 p.m. every day (except Friday) when the house sits in spring and fall.
Who: First the leader of the opposition questions the premier, then Tory MLAs move on to ministers. Near the end, Liberal Leader Jon Gerrard gets a question in. Backbench NDP MLAs mostly sit in silence, except when they throw in the odd heckle.
Why: It's supposed to be a forum in which the government is held to account.
Good
Questioners
They tend to be veteran opposition MLAs. The Tories still rely too much on over-the-top partisan questions that are intended to embarrass the government, not glean information.
Kelvin Goertzen
Tory health critic and MLA for Steinbach
A lawyerly orator with a good sense of humour.
Heather Stefanson
Tory environment critic and MLA for Tuxedo
Has a sense of humour and often asks a smart, specific questions, like one last week about exactly where the Doer government has stashed budget funding for Winnipeg sewage-treatment projects. Underused.
Myrna Driedger
Tory deputy health critic and MLA for Charleswood
She's got great sources in health care that often feed her documents or tips. The Tory caucus needs more diggers like her.
Bonnie Mitchelson
Tory urban affairs critic and MLA for River East
Asks simple, short, sharp questions and is pretty quick on her feet.
Good
Answerers
Is a good answerer someone who actually gives the opposition and the public some real information, or someone who sidesteps the question with some pithy jabs and theatrics? That's a tough question, complicated by the fact that a good performer in QP isn't necessarily a good manager of a department.
Premier Gary Doer
The master. He almost never answers the question or speaks in complete sentences, but his personal charisma and ease in the spotlight are made for QP.
Gord Mackintosh
Family Services and Housing Minister
He mans a child welfare and social housing department that's constantly under fire but seems to escape from QP relatively unscathed thanks to a genuine earnestness.
Eric Robinson
Culture and Heritage Minister
Deep voice and a certain dignity that makes people listen. Also, sometimes he actually answers a question.
Greg Selinger
Finance Minister
He's a little dry, but always well-prepared, which isn't hard when the province's economy and the government's books are in pretty good shape.
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