“Sometimes the tortoise does win the race,” writes Ottawa law professor Adam Dodek in an opinion piece in the Globe and Mail newspaper Thursday (September 18).
He describes the work of Liberal opposition Member of Parliament Irwin Cotler who has “has forced the government to reveal information on subjects ranging from consultations on the government’s prostitution legislation, Aboriginal justice, human rights abuses in Iran and the civil war in Syria. Mr. Cotler has done this through the relatively obscure process of ‘Order Paper Questions’.”
For most House of Commons observers it’s the sometimes heated exchanges of the House of Commons Question Period that come to mind when they think of holding the government accountable.
But as Professor Dodek points out “The joke in Ottawa about “Question Period” is that it’s called Question Period and not “Answer Period” for a reason: MPs get to ask whatever questions they want, but government ministers or parliamentary secretaries don’t necessary have to answer them.”
Cotler’s approach with written questions obliges the government to answer within 45 days.
Professor Dodek concludes: “In this age of cynicism for public institutions and public officials, Mr. Cotler has demonstrated that a single MP can indeed make a difference. The Harper government continues to preach the values of transparency and accountability while practicing secrecy and obfuscation. Mr. Cotler slowly and steadily pries information out of the government’s hands, strengthening Parliament in the process.”
More information:
Globe and Mail/Adam Dodek – Holding the Harper government to account, one written question at a time – here
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