Layton is least civil MP, study finds Published On Wed Jun 01 2011
New Democratic Party leader Jack Layton speaks during Question Period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa December 16, 2010.
CHRIS WATTIE/REUTERS
Richard J. Brennan National Affairs Writer
In the business of politics it sometimes pays to be negative, says a university researcher who studied question period decorum in Ottawa.
A controversial study released Wednesday by McMaster University’s Alex Sevigny concluded that NDP Leader Jack Layton, who has often promised to return civility to the 308-member Parliament, is in fact the least civil MP of all.
But Sevigny told the
Toronto Star that being uncivil is not necessarily a bad thing, especially for opposition leaders vying for recognition and sound bites during the rough and tumble of question period.
The study, conducted during the spring, found that Layton is among the worst offenders in the Commons, for negative exchanges during Question Period. Incidentally, he was virtually tied with former Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff.
“Mr. Layton is probably doing his job if he is being perceived as provocative. That is really the way to interpret this,” said Sevigny, who acknowledges he is a card-carrying Liberal. He noted his co-author Philip Savage is an NDP supporter.