Small victories

On Tuesday in the Bow-Wow Parliament, resident clown Terry French was spotted using a prop by opposition colleague Gerry Rogers. Props ain't allowed.

She called him out on it, and promptly got ridiculed, inside the House — and outside — for doing so:

MS ROGERS: A point of order, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please! The Member for St. John’s Centre, on a point of order.

MS ROGERS: I understand that props are not allowed in this House and the hon. member across the floor has raised his huge calculator, yet again.

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Government House Leader, to the point of order.

MR. KING: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

MR. KING: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I am not sure if there is a point of order. I would ask, for your ruling, that the member be more specific, instead of making a blanket statement of thirty-odd members in the House on a point of order. I am certain that every member here does not have a calculator to raise in the House.

MR. SPEAKER: The Member for St. John’s Centre, further to the point of order.

MS ROGERS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Member for Conception Bay South once again raised his oversized calculator, not only today but last week as well.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

MS ROGERS: I understand that props are not allowed to be used in the House of Assembly.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The Government House Leader.

MR. KING: Mr. Speaker, it is my recollection that the member referenced in a point of order was not recognized to speak in this House at any point in time during Question Period. It is my understanding, subject to your response, Mr. Speaker, that –

AN HON. MEMBER: (Inaudible).

MR. KING: If the Member for St. John’s North wants to contribute, he can stand up after me, Mr. Speaker, but I am entitled to respond.

It is my understanding that the ruling on props is tied into a member who is participating in the debate in the House. As I said, it is my recollection that the member was not recognized to speak in the House.

MR. SPEAKER: The issue with respect to props – when members are speaking, they are not intended to use props. Sometimes, reference to props in the House tends to be used when members are speaking and they use props to support an argument; however, it is not exclusively to those members who are speaking.

Members are not allowed to bring in placards or large displays, or promotional brochures and buttons and things like that that have not been sanctioned by the House. Any display of anything that is considered unparliamentary is still not to be used in the House, even though the member may not necessarily be speaking at the time.

If members of the House are doing such a thing, I would ask members to refrain from such an activity and I would ask members to be guided by that.

Terry French was wrong.

The gormless Darin King, unsurprisingly, was wrong.

Gerry Rogers was right.

And, surprisingly these days, the Speaker was, too.

In a chamber that slides more and more into self-parody and douchebaggery with every week it sits, this is a victory for decorum. A small victory, to be sure, but you takes 'em how they comes to you these days.