Limited contributions

CanWest reports on a change in House of Commons procedure which will limit the number of questions available to independent MPs. And while it would be easy to sympathize with the concern about reducing the clout of independents, it's worth noting that the current problem seems to originate from some of the independent MPs themselves:

Liberal, Conservative and NDP MPs supported a Bloc Quebecois motion yesterday that was prompted by Bloc opposition to the number of questions Speaker Peter Milliken has been awarding to former Bloc MP Lise Thibault, who broke ranks last April and now sits as an independent...

The motion, which still must be adopted by the Commons, introduces the term "Independent MP" for the first time in the authoritative Commons standing orders and would in effect prohibit the Speaker from allowing more than one question a week from all independent MPs combined...

Mr. Guimond complained Ms. Thibault has been allowed a disproportionate share of questions because the other two independent MPs, Andre Arthur and Joe Comuzzi, don't ask questions and Mr. Milliken recognizes Ms. Thibault in their place.

Comuzzi's impending retirement offers some reason to be winding down his role as an MP. But it's still striking that two of the three current independents don't even bother to exercise their opportunity to question the government, particularly given that the lack of any party role presumably makes the House of Commons the place where the independents are best able to make any points that need to be heard.

That said, if the blame for the current imbalance lies with a pair of silent MPs, the solution chosen is far from a perfect one. The purpose of preventing any one independent from earning a disproportionate number of questions would presumably be met just as well by limiting the number of questions for each independent MP rather than lumping all independents together. And indeed it strikes me as bizarre to assume that there's any commonality between independent MPs comparable to the caucus link that justifies the assignment of questions by party - though that seems to be the operating assumption underlying both the current practice and the proposed change.

Barring a sudden conversion by Bill Casey following his expulsion from the Cons, there figures to be one more independent added to the mix - which may well change the picture again before the motion is adopted. But for now, it looks like neither the parties now in Parliament nor independent MPs themselves seem eager to see independents either accomplish much, or be classified as truly independent.