Unparliamentary

From fistfights to scandals, Unparliamentary provides a sourced account of unexpected events that have marked the history of Canada’s Parliament. It offers an intriguing look into surprising moments that occurred on Parliament Hill, highlighting the unpredictable nature of human behaviour – especially among legislators. Moving from Confederation to the present day, Charlie Feldman explores moments from the less formal side of national politics, including conflicts between parliamentarians and acts of disorder, as well as instances of controversy and error in both the Senate and House of Commons. Many of the episodes discussed once attracted public attention but have since faded from memory, even among parliamentarians themselves. Unparliamentary draws on a wide range of historical and archival materials to document these incidents and bring them to life. Demonstrating how parliamentary truth is sometimes stranger than fiction, this book is written in a direct and accessible style and functions as both a reference work and as a readable account of the Parliament’s unconventional history.