"A revealing look at Canadian politics": Emily Darlington reviews 'Unparliamentary'
Ottawa: Commons chamber | Image by: Lumos Ajans / Alamy
3 min read
From fighting and singing to salmon slinging, this book is a fascinating collection of extraordinary parliamentary behaviour from elected officials on the Hill in Ottawa
Most people think of Canada’s parliament as a polite, mini version of our own ‘Mother of all Parliaments’ with beavers and moose carved into the halls instead of centuries of kings and queens. They couldn’t be more wrong.
Unparliamentary: Tales from Canada’s Parliamentary Past is a fascinating collection of extraordinary behaviour from elected officials on the Hill in Ottawa.
It reveals the colourful nature of politics in the 150-plus years since Canada’s parliament first sat – and gives readers a different view of how members from across the country have brought personal politics and constituency matters to the capital in the most lively of ways.
In the UK we know how passionate people are about the farming sector, but we would still be shocked to see our agriculture minister covered in milk from large plastic jugs, butter and cheese when he attempted to make a speech. Or the passion of a fisheries MP who, in protest over fishing rights in British Columbia, smuggled a salmon into the chamber in his trousers, then placed – perhaps threw – the fish on the prime minister’s desk. Feldman recounts how, with true Canadian humour, another MP cried, “Holy Mackerel!”
Singing in the chamber seems to be a common refrain throughout the years. Sometimes to undermine and annoy other MPs while speaking; other times to pass the long hours during overnight voting sessions.
The book is rife with insults and language used in the House that would never be allowed in Westminster
In 1947, a Quebec MP even took the sergeant-at-arms’ sword to conduct the House in a sing-song as MPs waited for the results of negotiations on votes. There was also a House of Commons Social Club (costing just $1) which boasted singalongs and dances (although unfortunately there is no further information in the book about the gaiety of this club).
We can only imagine the reaction of our own Speaker if the House were to break out into song…
The book is rife with insults and language used in the House that would never be allowed in Westminster. Accusations of lies, racism and extremism, often ending in threats of violence or actual fights. Most famously, revered first prime minister John A Macdonald called a colleague “the biggest liar I have ever met”, and lunged at him only to have six of his colleagues and the speaker have to pull him off.
Not surprisingly, the book also covers accusations of backhand deals and personal profiting over government contracts dating back to the building of parliament itself.
Perhaps the strangest of stories is that of Louis Riel, founder of the province of Manitoba and political leader of the Métis people. He was elected three times despite there being a $5,000 bounty on his head in Ontario for murder, meaning he could never sit in the Commons without being arrested.
Despite this obstacle he snuck into parliament with the help of colleagues so he could sign the test roll.
He was eventually caught and executed but his story and contribution to the Métis people and Canada remains a live topic of debate.
The author Charlie Feldman has done extensive research to put this book together. I do hope he writes another one where we can understand a bit more about these fascinating personalities and what led them to their unparliamentary behaviour.
Emily Darlington is Labour MP for Milton Keynes Central
Unparliamentary: Tales from Canada’s Colourful Parliamentary Past
By: Charlie Feldman
Publisher: University of Toronto Press
