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.