Muted Voices

I teach hundreds of students about Canadian government and politics every year. They are young and bright, and when I ask for a show of hands from those who might one day consider running for election, there is always an eager handful. One of the best parts of my job is to encourage them toward public service, to think about their families, neighbours, their hometowns and provinces, and what they can do to help keep Canada great. But when we get to the part of the course where we discuss the role of Parliament, the ability of members of Parliament to hold government accountable and the power that party leaders—especially the prime minister—have over their caucuses and the policy agenda, I see disappointment. The YouTube video of Paul Calandra’s embarrassing response in Question Period to NDP leader Thomas Mulcair’s pointed question on Canada’s decision to become reinvolved in Iraq horrified them. The small number of students who originally...