POLITICAL LOWLIGHTS OF 2014 – #11: The Conservatives Hide from Accountability in Question Period

In 2014, we saw a Conservative government plagued by scandal, out of touch with the challenges facing Canadians and preoccupied with photo-ops and their own partisan interests. Meanwhile, Justin Trudeau’s Liberals fail to hold Conservatives to account and, after two years, we still have no idea where they stand on key issues.

A year’s worth of scandals and ineptitude condensed into our annual list of the top political lowlights of the year... LOWLIGHT #11: The Conservatives Hide from Accountability in Question Period

Canadians have been highly critical of the government’s daily spectacle during Question Period.

The Prime Minister’s Parliamentary Secretary, Paul Calandra, for example, has become notorious for his empty, off-topic responses to legitimate questions. For example, for weeks Calandra evaded relevant questions from the Opposition, choosing instead to discuss his family pizzeria and his love for ice-cold lemonade!

In order to promote transparency and accountability, the NDP proposed to modify the Standing Orders of the House Commons so that ministers are actually required to give relevant answers to questions, and to force the government to come clean to Canadians.

One of the true low points for the Conservatives this year was their decision to reject this reasonable proposal, and openly express their view that Canadians don’t deserve clear answers to legitimate questions on crucial issues, such as our military mission in Iraq.

Canadians deserve better. And after nine years of Stephen Harper, Canadians just can’t afford to wait for Justin Trudeau to get ready.

Tom Mulcair’s New Democrats can be trusted to hold Conservatives to account while fighting for families and proposing common sense solutions for issues they are facing every day.