The Backbench Top Ten

Our weekly, and wholly arbitrary, ranking of the ten most worthy, or at least entertaining, MPs, excluding the Prime Minister, cabinet members and party leaders. A celebration of all that is great and ridiculous about the House of Commons. Last week’s rankings appear in parentheses.

Our weekly, and wholly arbitrary, ranking of the ten most worthy, or at least entertaining, MPs, excluding the Prime Minister, cabinet members and party leaders. A celebration of all that is great and ridiculous about the House of Commons. Last week’s rankings appear in parentheses.

1. Michael Chong (1)
2. Jack Harris (2)
3. Maxime Bernier (3)
The conservative dream circa October 2010: Prime Minister Rob Ford, Finance Minister Maxime Bernier.
4. Ralph Goodale (-)
The defining statement of a 30-year political career: “I am not a pirate … neither am I an alien transformer, a vampire or a werewolf.”
5. Carolyn Bennett (6)
When she’s not revolutionizing democracy, she builds well-dressed scarecrows.
6. Scott Brison (4)

7. Candice Hoeppner (5)
8. Justin Trudeau (-)
The first serious issue of Mr. Trudeau’s turn as a politician will, of course, be a debate over human rights and the Charter.
9. Mark Holland (7)
10. Ken Dryden (-)
The only politician in the land inspirational enough to unite our disparate celebrity voices. Possibly the only thing Sarah Polley and Don Cherry agree on.

Previous rankings: March 12March 19April 3April 10April 25May 1May 9May 16May 23May 30June 6June 13June 20September 26October 3October 10. October 17.