Linguistic Nationalism Is Ethnic Nationalism
The issue of linguistic minority rights between Quebec and the rest of Canada is one that has not in any way been resolved. Defending English in Quebec is to defend…
David Graham
Using Private Members Business To Attack Minority Rights
Near the end of the 42nd Parliament, the Bloc brought forward two bills to curtail minority English language rights in Quebec. One mandated that federally-regulated business be subject to Quebec’s…
On being a Jewish MP
The first time I rose in the House of Commons in December 2015, it was to mark the start of Chanukah. Given the short sitting calendar in the weeks following…
Bill S-201 and the breakdown of caucus unity
Private Members’ Business offers the occasional opportunity for a backbench to collectively disagree with their leadership. One of the sharpest examples of this in my four years was Bill S-201,…
The ever-increasing dichotomy of America
Seven years ago, Donald Trump was elected 45th President of the United States. And he’s trying to come back for another round. The forces that brought him to power in…
Making National Seal Products Day A Thing
On the opposite side of the issue from my “friendly fire” post on October 25th, and later in the same year, my former boss, Newfoundland MP Scott Simms tabled a…
The Role of Political Parties
Good morning. My name is David Graham. I served as a Member of Parliament from 210 pounds to … 260 pounds. Politics is not really the vocation of the healthy.…
Friendly Fire
That PMBs are, by definition, independent of the party means that some of their fiercest debates in the House can take place between Members of the same caucus. A good…
Who wins?
The recent devastating fighting in Israel has people, friends, communities, faiths, divided; leaders, opinion-makers, nations united. As I try to get my mind around both the violence and the reaction,…
Net Neutrality and the War On News
As the federal government and tech giant Meta (Facebook) continue their entrenched battle over access to, and payment for, Canadian news, we might consider what is really at stake. Both…
Parliamentary Privilege and Security
It is not without irony that the Conservatives are referring to the Parliamentary Security as a tool of the government after last week’s events surrounding the Speaker’s invitation to a…
One Miss Is All It Takes
Yesterday’s resignation of House of Commons Speaker Anthony Rota is historically awkward, with no previous Speaker having resigned in Canada’s history, and is a textbook example of how quickly things…
A Backbenchers’ Theoretical Power: Private Members’ Business
One would assume that one of a Members of Parliament’s primary responsibilities is to bring forward, discuss, debate, and pass legislation. In reality, individual MPs have the technical power to…
The Quality of Debate
The quality of regular debate in the Chamber is so poor that in order for a speech a Member makes to be heard anywhere at all, it has to be…
Whose Debate Is It Anyway?
My maiden speech in the House of Commons was on March 22nd, 2016. A Member’s maiden speech is the first full speech given in debate, not the first time they…
House Rules: How Parliament Governs Itself
The form and function of the House of Commons and its committees has, as its foundational document, the Standing Orders of the House of Commons. It is a letter-sized green…
Why Trudeau Is Sticking Around
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is still there for only one reason — and it is not because he wants to be Prime Minister for the rest of the his life.…
On Becoming A Cog In The Machine
When Arnold Chan approached me about taking on his responsibilities as the acting Deputy House Leader, the role was not well defined. As with many jobs in politics, the role…
Sophie Grégoire A Force In Her Own Right
I am a fan of Sophie Grégoire. Having met her only a handful of times during my time on the Hill, I saw the way she thought, motivated, and interacted…
PMO Staff Run Government; Ministers Represent It
Last week’s cabinet shuffle and some of the awkward stories about ministers unaware that they would no longer be ministers are a stark reminder of the absolute authority the Prime…