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.

1. Francine Lalonde (-)
On Tuesday, she compels the House to face one of the more philosophically challenging issues of our time. On Wednesday, she weaves Omar Khadr and Rights & Democracy into the same QP query. Audacious, courageous or some combination thereof.
2. Jack Harris (-)
Behold the motion he is prepared to put his name to and consider what may potentially lay ahead. Audacious, courageous or some combination thereof.
3. Daniel Paille (1)
Yelled circles around Ted Menzies on Tuesday.
4. Derek Lee (5)
5. Joe Comartin (4)
Spoke sensibly this week about euthanasia, national security and parliamentary privilege, then stood this morning and mocked recent adventures in ministerial air travel. Will one day be a highly entertaining Speaker.
6. Wayne Easter (8)
The record will show that he was the MP who moved the motion that may ultimately bring an end to the practice of ten-percenters. Either an enemy of free speech or a hero of democracy.
7. Stephen Woodworth (6)
Did we mention he dabbles in comedy?
8. Maxime Bernier (7)
9. Bob Rae (9)
10. Dominic LeBlanc (2)

Previous rankings: March 12.