Reform Parliament : The Musical

How to clean up Question Period? My suggestion is an amendment to Bill C-12.

Statement in the House of Commons - Reforming Question Period

May 3, 2010

A growing number of Canadians are disengaging from the political process. When citizens disengage, the very legitimacy of this institution is at risk.

Canadians across the country may not be able to put their finger on exactly what ails our institutions, but they know that something is wrong.

That is why I want to commend the Minister for Democratic Reform for introducing a number of bills, including Bill C-12, which demonstrates the government's commitment to institutional renewal.

The heart of our democracy is Parliament, and the heart of Parliament is Question Period.

Through the national media, millions of Canadians follow question period each and every day. I am optimistic that parliamentary reform can reconnect Canadians who feel disengaged by political behaviour that would not be tolerated around the kitchen table.

That is why we will be introducing motion M-517, a proposal that asks the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs to examine specific changes to reform Question Period. I ask members of this House to consider this motion and to lend it their support. -Michael Chong,MP

Not so Serious:

Further to the Rick Mercer's ring tone suggestion, serious thinkers and great minds have begun to examine how we can improve the decorum in the house. Question Period has been increasingly referred to as the theatre of the absurd.

To most Canadians, Question Period is that 10 sec clip on the TV news or the newspaper article that expands on the questions asked in the House. Behaviour in the House has deteriorated for years, to the point that most of what you see is theatre, IE MPs performing for the camera and that hoped for clip. Keith Beardsley

Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining music, songs, spoken dialogue and dance. This blogger prefers to have some more fun on this subject.- wiki

Watch this video on VideoSurf or see more This Hour Has 22 Min Videos or Trooper Videos

What  if the MP's  were required to ask their question, answers with an emphasis of musicality? MP's could refer to a larger screen, teleprompter  instead of plain notes or their blackberry for talking points. Let's see those MP's raise the bar, engage the younger generation:

• West Side Story
• Grease
• American/Canadian Idol
• Highschool Musical
• Glee

Radical thinking outside the box, no not really, just having fun with the frustration of many MPs who don't participate, enjoy the circus sideshow on display in Question Period.

Update: Correction
 The Iceman is the genius behind the Tweet, not Rick Mercer for political landscape post on my blog here. being clueless on my part regarding twitter is not a defence.