You may not be surprised to learn that Jack Layton believes sexism is rampant in the House of Commons. “During Question Period, we have been witnessing undeniably sexist heckling from members of the government side,” he pronounced Wednesday. “This abuse is growing hotter, it is growing more frequent and there is more bullying.”
Mr. Layton was ostensibly sticking up for his Commons colleague, the Liberal health critic Dr. Carolyn Bennett, who on Monday was rather bizarrely — and, it must be said, shamefully — shouted down as she asked a question about the government’s response to the H1N1 flu, particularly as it affects pregnant women.
Now, Dr. Bennett doesn’t need anyone to stick up for her, as her furious reaction would have demonstrated to anyone hitherto unfamiliar with her. “This isn’t funny,” she roared, jabbing her finger Tory-wards — the most genuine moment of anger I’ve seen from the House in ages. And she’s right: It isn’t funny. But it’s interesting she’s not making as big a deal out the sexism angle as Mr. Layton. It’s almost as if he had something other than Dr. Bennett’s good name in mind.
Would a male Conservative health critic have been accused of sexism if Dr. Bennett was the minister? Search me. Sexist; not sexist; I have no idea. Trying to figure out whether a particular volley of Question Period heckling is sexist, or racist, or classist, or just plain idiotic, is like trying to figure what kind of wood the spear sticking out of your chest is made of — a fruitless pursuit that entirely misses the point.
Indeed, that a Canadian politician would demand an end to sexist heckling tells you most of what you need to know. A non-politician would instead propose doing away with heckling, period.
This is not as difficult a task as it’s sometimes made out to be. All it requires is for MPs to elect a speaker willing to enforce a broader interpretation of the existing parliamentary rules. To wit, Standing Order 16: “When a Member is speaking, no Member shall ... interrupt him or her, except to raise a point of order.” Or Standing Order 18: “No Member shall speak disrespectfully of [or] use offensive words against ... any Member thereof.”
As for the Liberal accusations that the Tories have outrageously politicized H1N1, alas, that narrative went a bit pear-shaped on Wednesday. Grand Chief Roy Evans of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs told a Commons committee he wasn’t too pleased with a flyer, sent from Dr. Bennett’s office, alleging “no vaccines, just body bags,” had been sent to aboriginal reserves. Chief Evans suggested this amounted to, well, politicizing the H1N1 flu.
He’s right, and Dr. Bennett apologized.
Non-political types might also point out how silly it was for Dr. Bennett to still be banging on about the body-bag thing, since it emerged weeks ago that a nurse at Manitoba’s Wasagamack First Nation had in fact ordered them — and that the bags certainly weren’t sent instead of H1N1 supplies. (They might also note Dr. Bennett’s flyer was one of those taxpayer-funded “10-percenters,” political misuse of which the Liberals claim to abhor.) But in the House of Commons, they’d be pitching their case to 300 or so vacant stares.
There is, of course, a legitimate debate to be had over how, when and to whom Canada is rolling out the H1N1 vaccine. But it is not and will not be conducted in the House of Commons. If anyone in there actually thinks his party is favoured over any other by this incredibly unedifying sideshow — heckling and hooting and sexism allegations and body bags — he’s dreaming.
National Post
cselley@nationalpost.com
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