Rumble in the Commons! Fighting in the House of Commons That Is...

[RedHot25]

http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2...86339-sun.html

An ugly brawl broke out yesterday in the Commons, where a Liberal MP claims he was physically accosted and threatened by a Conservative who "flipped out."

Ottawa MP David McGuinty accused Tory MP Royal Galipeau of storming across the floor and unleashing a tirade of insults. He called the conduct the worst he has seen in his three years on the Hill.

"The member was clearly out of control, using unparliamentary language and in a threatening fashion grabbed my left shoulder and only left my side when several of my colleagues urged him to stop and to leave, but he would not," McGuinty said.

[skins]

what exactly is unparliamentary language? Wasn't Jack Layton himself talking about a "big ass" not too long ago?

[Flashpoint]

Well, I suppose Sir John A. would be ok with it. I hear he liked to scrap a little back in the day.

Macdonald's temper sometimes got the better of him, such as in one incident in the House of Commons when Donald Smith angered him so much, that he charged across the Commons floor to physically attack him. While he was restrained, Macdonald was unrepentant proclaiming, "I'll lick him faster than Hell can scorch a feather!"

[Cube Inmate]

"Brawl?" A brawl is the kind of thing you see in the Taiwanese parliament...not an older man walking up to another and grabbing his shoulder.

Way to keep it real, media!

[Agamemnon]

You shouldn't be touching anyone in the House... pretty huge loss of control... I'm glad these are the people guiding the future of the nation.

[Locke]

There should be more of this. If parliamentary proceedings turned into a contact sport maybe they would be more careful about what they say. Perhaps even stem the tide of crap they spew all the time?

How about punishments too? If you say something stupid you get the crap kicked out of you. I can think of a couple people who should get in line for a whooping by Shane Doan.

Locke.

[RedHot25]

Originally Posted by Cube Inmate

"Brawl?"

I know, I saw the headline (which is part of the heading for this thread) and then read the article. And then read it again, because I thought that I had missed something. But, it appears that I didn't. I wouldn't really call this a "brawl", but I do agree wtih Agamemnon that its not the most appropriate behaviour.

[calculoso]

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNew...6?hub=Politics

The House of Commons and its environs devolved into a scene of schoolyard taunts, shrill denunciations, partisan knee-capping, and procedural constipation Wednesday as the spring session ground toward its summer recess.

All three opposition parties are livid the government won't choose a new chair for the Commons committee on official languages, after the opposition majority joined forces to vote out the old one.

It was that issue that sparked the confrontation between Galipeau and McGuinty in the Commons.

McGuinty said Galipeau was in "an out of control, enraged fury."

He said the deputy speaker "flipped out . . . and ran across the floor and stood over me and was gesticulating and pointing his finger, grabbed me by the shoulder, repeated several times something about coward or cowardice."

Only when he realized his diatribe was being caught on camera did Galipeau beat a hasty retreat.

Galipeau admitted he lost his cool but denied he was threatening in any way.

"Yes, I was pretty upset but I was only upset because I was surprised . . . How can I be threatening to (McGuinty). He's bigger than I am, he's stronger than I am, he's younger than I am."

Hardly sounds like a fight... or a rumble...

Should the physical touching have occurred? No, but it's hardly noteworthy...

[JohnnyB]

Here in Taiwan there recently was an actual fight in the legislature, with punches thrown and all.

[Bobblehead]

Originally Posted by JohnnyB

Here in Taiwan there recently was an actual fight in the legislature, with punches thrown and all.

Yeah, those usually make the news here, often under the "Hits of the week" or something in the "weird news" category.

[Flashpoint]

Originally Posted by calculoso

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNew...6?hub=Politics

Hardly sounds like a fight... or a rumble...

Should the physical touching have occurred? No, but it's hardly noteworthy...

No fight there. But if I did the same thing at work, I guarantee HR would be getting involved. These guys are supposed to be representing the people of Canada. Shameful behaviour.

[Agamemnon]

Originally Posted by Flashpoint

No fight there. But if I did the same thing at work, I guarantee HR would be getting involved. These guys are supposed to be representing the people of Canada. Shameful behaviour.

No doubt, that kind of behaviour would cause huge HR issues in any other workplace.