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How useful is Question Period?

Question period in Ottawa is known for its mayhem and exuberance, and also occasionally for its shallowness and immaturity. This week however, the leader of the Opposition surprised many in Ottawa by abandoning the grandstanding and acting like a crown prosecutor with a razor sharp interrogation of the Prime Minister. Is Question Period changing -- does it need to change?...
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The Current24:00How useful is Question Period?
Question period in Ottawa is known for its mayhem and exuberance, and also occasionally for its shallowness and immaturity. This week however, the leader of the Opposition surprised many in Ottawa by abandoning the grandstanding and acting like a crown prosecutor with a razor sharp interrogation of the Prime Minister. Is Question Period changing -- does it need to change?


Panel: Kady O'Malley / David Mitchell / Sheila Copps

This week, opposition leader Tom Mulcair used the daily 45 minute question period to ... ask questions. And while there was still booing, applause and cat-calls, Mulcair's straight-forward interrogation had some Parliament Hill reporters wondering if change was in the air.

• Mulcair gets straight to the point as leaders clash on Senate scandal in Harper's question period return -- National Post

Some wonder if this marks a new way forward for the opposition ... even an opportunity to breathe new life into Question Period.

  • Kady O'Malley is the CBC's parliamentary blogger. She's been covering politics on Parliament Hill for a decade. And she joined us from Ottawa.

  • David Mitchell is a former MLA in the BC Legislature. He's now President of a national, not-for-profit organization called Canada's Public Policy Forum. He was in Calgary.

  • Sheila Copps is a former Liberal MP and Deputy Prime Minister. She is also the author of two books: Nobody's Baby and Worth Fighting For.She was in Ottawa.


This segment was produced by The Current's Jessica deMello.

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