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‘We should not expect parliamentary debate to be consistently exciting’

Adam Chapnick tries again to convince us parliament should do away with heckling.

If, as I contend they should be, our MPs are role models for Canadians as a whole, then why should we allow them (or, in Langstaff’s case, encourage them) to behave in a manner that would be condemned in any of our public classrooms? How can our educators teach their students to hear out their peers and refrain from speaking out of turn if those same students can reply that they learned how to deal with conflict by observing the public conduct of their prime minister during Question Period? Moreover, how can Canadian parents tell their children that cutting people off with the intent of poking fun at them (however thoughtfully) is inappropriate if we reward our elected representatives for acting similarly?

Your move, Langstaff.

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