On this date in 1977 federal politics forever changed with the arrival of televised proceedings of the House of Commons.The debate still rages about whether this has turned out to be a blessing or a curse. Some days I think the former, and then I’ll watch some of the proceedings on another day and wish there were no cameras for MPs to play to.I know all readers of Art’s History will very much enjoy watching a clip of the first-ever televised Question Period exchange between then Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau and future Prime Minister, then Leader of Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition, Joe Clark in this CBC archives article from that first day.[caption id="attachment_591266" align="alignleft" width="521"]
Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau responds to a question from Opposition Leader Joe Clark on the first day of televised proceedings of the House of Commons[/caption]Arthur Milnes is an accomplished public historian and award-winning journalist. He was research assistant on The Rt. Hon. Brian Mulroney’s best-selling Memoirs and also served as a speechwriter to then-Prime Minister Stephen Harper and as a Fellow of the Queen’s Centre for the Study of Democracy under the leadership of Tom Axworthy. A resident of Kingston, Ontario, Milnes serves as the in-house historian at the 175 year-old Frontenac Club Hotel.
Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau responds to a question from Opposition Leader Joe Clark on the first day of televised proceedings of the House of Commons[/caption]Arthur Milnes is an accomplished public historian and award-winning journalist. He was research assistant on The Rt. Hon. Brian Mulroney’s best-selling Memoirs and also served as a speechwriter to then-Prime Minister Stephen Harper and as a Fellow of the Queen’s Centre for the Study of Democracy under the leadership of Tom Axworthy. A resident of Kingston, Ontario, Milnes serves as the in-house historian at the 175 year-old Frontenac Club Hotel.