Canada’s Parliament shares its Westminster roots with the UK, but it has developed its own distinctive traditions, procedures and political culture. In this episode, Charlie Feldman – former President of the Canadian Study of Parliament Group and author of Unparliamentary, a collection of stories from the stranger corners of Canadian political history – explains how the federal Parliament in Ottawa reflects its British inheritance while developing a character all of its own.
The conversation moves beyond constitutional structures to the parliamentary incidents that never quite make it into procedural textbooks. From fistfights between MPs that left chunks torn from a Victorian beard to a full-size salmon being carried across the chamber and deposited on the Prime Minister’s desk, these stories are entertaining in their own right, while illustrating that even the grandest legislatures are not immune to moments of absurdity or behaviour that falls well short of the dignity their proceedings are meant to embody.
Charlie also explores some of the more unusual chapters in the Canadian Parliament’s history, including the era when senators were required to adjudicate divorce petitions, with medically trained members examining evidence in an intrusive manner that would be unimaginable today. He discusses the quirks of bilingual parliamentary proceedings and reveals the truth behind the famous story of an MP who allegedly read his entire book into Hansard to secure a free French translation.
The episode also examines Parliament Hill’s more unconventional residents. Charlie recounts the contrasting fortunes of its well-loved colony of feral cats and an infestation of rabbits that reportedly survived repeated gunfire from the window of the Speaker’s office.
Finally, the discussion looks beyond procedure to Parliament’s physical home. Drawing on visits to legislatures across Europe, Charlie reflects on the challenge of preserving historic parliamentary buildings while creating safe, accessible and modern workplaces. Canada’s ambitious restoration of Parliament Hill offers valuable lessons for Westminster as it confronts the long-term renewal of its own ageing estate.
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Parliament Matters is a Hansard Society production supported by the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust.
Presenters: Mark D’Arcy and Ruth Fox
Producer: Richard Townsend
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