peter milliken

Advice from former Commons Speaker Peter Milliken, who knows a thing or two about handling hung parliaments

Mexico’s Ambassador Francisco Barrio Terrazas presented the Decoration of the Mexican Order of the Aztec Eagle to former Speaker Peter Milliken. It is the highest award a non-Mexican can receive.  Milliken was lauded for helping to build relations between Canada and Mexico during his time as Speaker.

The Harpers are looking for a guinea pig and John Baird goes autograph hunting

Former Speaker Peter Milliken had his official portrait unveiled last week.

In yesterday’s sketch, I suggested that Ms. May had violated the House’s prohibition against props when she held aloft a copy of the budget bill as she detailed her question of the government. Ms. May wrote me today to tell me I was wrong. Specifically she cites the following sentence in a footnote to the rules explained by the second edition of House of Commons Procedure and Practice.

A surprise 60th birthday party was held for Ted Menzies, minister of state for finance, at Ottawa’s hip restaurant Play.

The goat Bev Oda left behind

In addition to the questions posed by opposition MPs each afternoon, a few spots are set aside each day for government MPs to ask questions. In theory, Conservative backbenchers might use these opportunities to perform their duty of holding the government to account. Instead they are generally used by the government side to lob friendly requests that ministers stand and expound on the greatness of the government’s efforts in some regard or another.

Peter Milliken reflects on his time as Speaker.

‘I’ll call you’

A special performance by Raffi

From Peter Milliken’s conversation with John Geddes, the former Speaker suggests a possible punishment for unparliamentary behaviour.