Prime Minister’s Question Period in the Canadian House of Commons: Lessons in parliamentary reform 

Between 2017 and 2025, the Canadian Home of Commons operated a Prime Minister’s Query Interval process, launched by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. In a brand new revealed article summarised right here, Ruxandra Serban explores how this process labored, and the way it differed from the standard Query Interval mannequin. 

Parliamentary questions procedures are extremely seen and vital democratic devices, significantly once they contain the pinnacle of presidency. The UK’s PMQs is probably essentially the most well-known process by way of which a Prime Minister solutions questions from MPs. Different international locations have tried to comply with this mannequin, with the newest case being the French Nationwide Meeting in 2024. Questioning the Prime Minister within the highlight of the parliamentary plenary is seen as a robust accountability software.  

The Canadian Home of Commons affords a brand new alternative to review how this mannequin works. In 2017, midway by way of the forty second parliament (2015-19), the Liberal authorities launched a Prime Minister’s Query Interval (PMQP), alongside the standard Query Interval. This meant that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau would reply all questions as soon as every week on Wednesdays, in comparison with the earlier mannequin of answering a small variety of questions initially of Query Interval each day, alongside ministers. The apply lasted for the remainder of Trudeau’s premiership, however was discontinued in 2025 by his successor, Mark Carney. 

How did the reform come about? 

Query Interval is the first questioning process within the Canadian Home of Commons. It’s scheduled each day when the Home is sitting, and conventionally the Prime Minister has to attend. The Prime Minister is questioned along with ministers, and solutions ‘Leaders’ spherical’ initially – questions from the Chief of the Opposition and different opposition social gathering leaders and distinguished opposition members. The remaining questions are answered by ministers. Query allocation is managed by political events. Every social gathering has a Query Interval chief and group that manages technique, and likewise decides how questions are distributed amongst MPs. After ‘Leaders’ spherical’, the Speaker calls MPs from lists submitted by social gathering whips. Proposals to vary Query Interval have been round for many years, and a notable current initiative was by a Conservative MP, Michael Chong, who in 2010 proposed the introduction of a Prime Minister’s Query Interval. This was unsuccessful.  

The concept of a PMQP returned with the Liberal Get together’s 2015 election platform, which promised to ‘[r]eform Query Interval so that each one members, together with the Prime Minister, are held to higher account’. In March 2017, the Chief of the Home revealed a paper outlining the federal government’s Commons reform intentions. The proposals have been criticised by each principal opposition events, the New Democratic Get together and the Conservative Get together, who argued {that a} PMQP would scale back the Prime Minister’s accountability to the Home by requiring much less frequent attendance. The federal government backed down on the broader package deal, however pressed forward with PMQP. As a compromise, the Prime Minister would proceed to attend Query Interval on different days. On 5 April 2017, Trudeau answered all questions for the primary time on a Wednesday – the start of a apply that lasted for the rest of his premiership.  

Strategies 

To judge the impression of PMQP, I checked out knowledge from earlier than and after it was launched throughout the 2015-19 parliament. Learning the 2 codecs throughout the identical parliament is particularly helpful, as a result of the general political context and social gathering stability remained comparatively fixed, permitting a clearer view of the reform’s particular results. 

To measure attendance, I collected the whole variety of Query Interval classes in the course of the parliament and recorded the instances the Prime Minister attended. To take a look at who requested questions, in addition to the matters and elegance, I chosen a random pattern of 30 Query Interval classes unfold throughout the 2 intervals (N = 708 questions). For every query, I coded the social gathering and function of the questioner. I used Hansard labels to document query matters, and the Comparative Agendas Codebook to group comparable matters collectively. I additionally grouped them into matters throughout the Canadian Prime Minister’s remit, shared with a minister, or farther from the Prime Minister’s remit. I labelled every query primarily based on whether or not or not it included a conflictual comment (i.e. any form of rhetorical assault on the Prime Minister, the federal government, or its insurance policies) . To discover how parliamentarians skilled and understood the reform, I carried out 10 interviews with former and present Canadian MPs. The pattern included a useful vary of experiences by way of events, seniority, gender, and involvement in Query Interval, together with two former Home Leaders for his or her events. 

The PM’s attendance at Query Interval remained the identical 

One of many key points round PMQP, additionally steered by interviewees, was whether or not it could scale back the Prime Minister’s presence within the chamber. Trudeau’s attendance remained at simply over 44% of Query Interval classes throughout each intervals, when each common classes and PMQP. Trying particularly at Wednesday classes, he attended 74% of classes within the interval earlier than the reform and 78% within the interval after, when Wednesdays turned PMQP. What did change was the variety of questions he acquired. In a daily session, Trudeau answered about 9 questions; in PMQP classes, he confronted a median of 38. As a result of he nonetheless attended on different days, the cumulative impact was that he answered extra questions after the reform. 

Extra MPs obtained to query the PM on a wider vary of matters 

PMQP widened entry to questioning. MPs from a broader vary of roles, significantly together with authorities and opposition backbenchers, have been capable of put questions on to Trudeau. Interviewees confirmed that this was valued by MPs and by their constituents. 

Determine 1. Questioners by social gathering (left) and by function of questioner (proper) 

In PMQP classes, the Prime Minister was questioned on a variety of points: the median was 12 distinctive matters per session, in comparison with a median of 4 distinctive matters in conventional Query Interval classes. The Prime Minister turned, like his British counterpart, a goal for questions on virtually something. 

One other approach of understanding how the Prime Minister is questioned beneath the totally different fashions is to take a look at whether or not questions goal areas which are thought-about throughout the Prime Minister’s remit (e.g. appointments, equipment of presidency) or shared between the Prime Minister and a minister (e.g. international affairs, defence). Because the variety of questions elevated, the proportion of questions which are throughout the Prime Minister’s remit, or shared with a minister, decreased (Desk 1). That is additionally supported by regression evaluation proof explored additional within the article. In scrutiny phrases, the PM acquired extra questions, however matters turned extra diverse, together with extra questions on matters that may have beforehand been addressed to ministers.  

Desk 1. Questions throughout the Prime Minister’s remit 

PMQP remained simply as adversarial as Query Interval 

PMQP didn’t lead to fewer conflictual questions. Within the interval earlier than the reform, round 86% of inquiries to the PM included some type of conflictual comment, and this remained at a gentle degree of 80% of questions after the reform. Query Interval remained an adversarial process no matter whether or not the Prime Minister is questioned alone or alongside the cupboard. All interviewees additionally confirmed that an adversarial fashion is a part of the tradition of Query Interval. As one interviewee put it, ‘[Question Period] is just not a spot to be type’. Different MPs conceded that being adversarial is a part of the job, however that politics can be higher if the tone was totally different. 

Perceptions and experiences of Query Interval and the reform 

Interviews supplied vital insights into how the reform was perceived and skilled by parliamentarians, and the way it clashed with their conceptions of prime ministerial accountability. Each day questioning was a lot most well-liked to a PMQs-style as soon as every week occasion, even when it meant fewer questions. Commenting on the preliminary proposal to restrict questioning to Wednesdays, some opposition MPs steered that this is able to have modified the PM’s relationship with the Home of Commons, and restricted the opposition’s capability to ask questions in addition to to socialize informally with him. It was additionally seen as Trudeau’s intention to make use of the Home as a private marketing campaign platform.  

Some interviewees have been sceptical that the reform had had any tangible impression. Firstly, the interior social gathering technique of preparation for Query Interval remained the identical. Moreover, Wednesday had all the time been an vital day within the parliamentary week as a result of events have their caucus conferences on Wednesday mornings, so the Prime Minister was already often current on Wednesdays. These caucus conferences additionally made Wednesday Query Interval extra politically charged, so some interviewees famous it was onerous to know whether or not the brand new PMQP felt extra intense due to the reform itself or just because Wednesdays have been all the time a high-stakes day. 

The reform in the end left the basic options of Query Interval untouched. Specifically, shut social gathering administration means scripted questions and staying on message, and fewer room for backbench MPs to ask their very own questions. Events undertake these methods in response to the media atmosphere: questions and solutions are scripted as a way to generate beneficial media clips, but in addition to keep away from making errors, which can lead to a ‘damaging clip’. Interviewees throughout all events identified that ‘clip tradition’ is counterproductive when complicated points are at stake, for which nuance and deliberation are wanted.  

Classes from PMQP 

The reform launched a mannequin of questioning that efficiently caught throughout Justin Trudeau’s time in workplace. Taking a look at whether or not or not the reform achieved its goal of creating the Prime Minister extra accountable to the Home of Commons reveals a combined image.  

As the brand new process would place the Prime Minister within the highlight as soon as every week, there was a priority that it could imply extra selective attendance. This proved to not be the case, a minimum of for the second half of the 2015-19 parliament. By maintaining the identical price of attendance, the Prime Minister answered extra questions within the second half of the parliament in comparison with the primary.  

PMQP launched a distinct mannequin of prime ministerial accountability extra just like the UK’s PMQs than to the standard Query Interval: it allowed MPs in each management and backbench roles to query the Prime Minister, and the scope of questions broadened. However vital options of PMQP remained the identical. Backbench MPs have been nonetheless constrained in what questions they might ask by social gathering administration. The social gathering record system was nonetheless in operation, so it remained a mannequin that was much less centered on the person MP’s questions, and extra on delivering social gathering traces. Questioning was additionally simply as adversarial as earlier than.  

The outcomes of the reform are intently tied to its origins: it was a authorities initiative launched with out a lot political help, and clashed with beliefs about what Query Interval is for. It was seen as pushed by Prime Minister’s Trudeau campaigning fashion. It additionally didn’t construct on earlier reform makes an attempt, which sought to handle social gathering lists and brief closing dates for questions and solutions. As PMQP was a comparatively light-touch reform and the results of compromise, it may solely produce restricted adjustments, with no results on the inducement construction inside which parliamentarians function. This additionally meant that the reform’s sturdiness in the end relied on politics. For Within the later a part of his premiership Trudeau confronted Conservative chief Pierre Poilievre at PMQP (2022-2025), who was regarded inside his social gathering as a robust Query Interval performer. Some interviewees steered that maintaining PMQP would possibly even have benefited the Conservatives in the event that they have been to win the 2025 election. In the long run, nevertheless, Trudeau’s Liberal successor as Prime Minister selected to not proceed with it. 

The Canadian case affords a cautionary lesson for reformers in different parliaments. With out addressing points such because the function of social gathering management over questions, and the adversarial tradition by which MPs are socialised, the PMQP reform remained largely superficial. In the end, as research on parliamentary reform have argued, introducing reforms with out broad political help limits what sort of change they’ll obtain. 

The article titled ‘Inquiries to the Prime Minister within the Canadian Home of Commons: Transformation or tweak?’ was revealed just lately within the journal Parliamentary Affairs. 

In regards to the writer 

Ruxandra Serban is an Honorary Analysis Fellow within the Division of Political Science at UCL.