A cry for help

Mackenzie Grisdale’s full report on heckling includes a few explanations and observations from MPs, including this from the NDP’s Bruce Hyer.

He said, "a lot of backbenchers feel useless and this is one of the areas in which they can vent their frustrations and pretend to be useful." We have also seen that when MPs are unable to get relevant answers from Ministers, they often respond by heckling. Further, the relatively low amount of attention paid to government backbenchers by Cabinet may also contribute to some MPs’ desire to heckle as a means to attract attention, if not from the executive, at least from the media.