Rollicking Good Fun

Because Province House was built by the same man who built our house (and was designed by his brother), because Bill Reid, from whose family we bought the house, was a clerk of the Legislative Assembly, and, well, because it’s right next door (I once gave directions to our house as follows: “Stand on the water side of Province House. Face the water. Turn to the left. If you were to shoot a canon through the buildings you see, you would hit our house.”), we have something of a proprietary feeling towards the chamber.

Indeed every time I watch Question Period on cable, I get a small tingle in my spine, knowing that much democracy is rambling around so close.

If you haven’t been watching Cable 10’s broadcast of Question Period for a while, you should really tune in: it is rollicking good fun now that there’s an opposition. Last night, for example, there was a very well played — on both sides — back and forth between Richard Brown and several cabinet ministers. And Carolyn Bertram seems to be hitting a good mix of “embarrass the Government” and “working for my constituents” questions.

If it’s the opposition’s duty to watch the government, it’s our duty to watch the opposition.