Letter to the editor — MLAs should try choosing function over dysfunction

The concerns raised about the tone and conduct in Manitoba’s legislature are not only valid, they’re long overdue.

Question period is meant to be the central mechanism of accountability in our democracy. It should be where government is pressed for answers, where ministers demonstrate competence and where Manitobans can see serious issues debated with clarity and purpose. Instead, far too often, it has devolved into rehearsed talking points, deflections and cheap shots that generate more heat than light.

But this didn’t happen overnight, and it wasn’t always this way — even under NDP governments. There was a time when ministers took questions more seriously, when answers, even if imperfect, attempted to address the issue at hand, and when debate, while partisan, did not regularly cross into open hostility.

Today, the legislature has turned into a toxic environment where very little of substance actually gets accomplished during question period. When the focus shifts from answering questions to scoring political points and hurling personal insults, accountability suffers. When ministers treat scrutiny as an inconvenience rather than a responsibility, Manitobans are left without the clarity they deserve.

That failure is particularly evident in the conduct of some of the government’s most senior voices. The behaviour of the front bench of the government side is unbecoming to say the least — including from the government house leader, who is quite literally responsible for the daily proceedings. There are several moments each day when the shouting from the government benches is so constant and overwhelming that I can not hear what my colleagues are saying — a fitting metaphor for a government that is more interested in noise and repackaged announcements than answers and progress.

And leadership matters. The tone in any workplace — especially one as important as the legislature — is set at the top. While much of what the public sees is confined to the televised proceedings, those who work in and around the building know that the culture extends beyond the cameras. Premier Wab Kinew has a responsibility to model respect and professionalism at all times. Unfortunately, the premier would rather engage in hateful personal attacks than try to understand the issues and struggles being faced by rural Manitobans.

Families looking for child care, parents concerned about their children’s education and communities seeking safety and justice are not interested in political theatre. They are looking for answers.

There was a time when strong disagreement in the legislature could still coexist with respect and purpose. That standard has been allowed to erode, and unless those in leadership positions choose to restore it, the dysfunction will only deepen.

Manitobans — including the students who come to witness their democracy in action — deserve better than noise and hostility. They deserve a legislature that works.

JODIE BYRAM

MLA, Agassiz