The Requisites of Leadership in the Modern House of Commons

But what are the requisites of leadership, and are their institutional advantages and disadvantages provided for different party leaders in the House of Commons? In her examination of leadership in the House of Commons, Cristine de Clercy argues that the arrangements of rules in the House of Commons helps to “shape” the behaviour and success of parliamentary leaders. [...] In fact the use of props such as charts and displays consistently have been ruled out of order and, with the exception of the Minister of Finance, Members cannot use lecterns when delivering a speech in the Chamber.9 Despite technological change, the rules surrounding the form and manner of address continue to emphasize the importance of largely unscripted communication in the assembly. [...] The Requisites of Leadership in the Modern House of Commons 9 structure, values, and processes of the parties in parliament, and in parliamentary procedure and practice.”32 In a recent essay, Réjean Pelletier finds that the presence of party discipline predates the granting of responsible government in 1848, and that these two elements have evolved in close relationship with each other.33 The cent. [...] Here four leaders have left the headship of the CCF/NDP, five leaders departed the PC’s, and three exited from the ranks of the Liberals.51 Considering the two newer parties founded in the late 1980s, the first leader of the Bloc Québécois resigned while the Reform/Alliance party’s first two leaders have left or declared an intention to resign.52 50 The time intervals on the “X” axis have been col. [...] In this case, the increase in the number of parties represented in the House may account for some portion of the high turnover rate, since it is reasonable to expect that the total volume of leaders leaving their offices will increase simply owing to the larger number of political parties represented in the Chamber.