Question Period in the House of Commons can be rowdy and entertaining, but Canadians shouldn’t believe it represents all the business of Parliament.

Since the harsh glare of television lights was introduced into the House a couple of decades ago, Question Period has become a neatly packaged political sound bite. I always cringe when I see rows of students peering down from the galleries at the mayhem below. They can be forgiven for believing that Canada’s Parliament is comprised of M.P.s who may seem rude and boorish, but this is only part of the picture. Unfortunately, it’s often the portion that makes it to the evening newscasts.

At 2 p.m. sharp on the days that Parliament is sitting (and 11 a.m. on Fridays), the Speaker of the House allows 15 minutes for Members’ Statements. This time is set aside for M.P.s to deliver a 60-second statement on a subject of their choice. The statements must be carefully timed because the Speaker cuts them off at 60 seconds, even if the M.P. is in mid-sentence.

Each member of Parliament gets a turn every month or two to highlight activities in their ridings, recognize national events, emphasize an important issue, or pay tribute to Canadians who have made a significant contribution. M.P.s are asked to avoid reading poetry or singing during their statement, but they can broach virtually any subject they wish.

Canada’s official parliamentary record is called Hansard. The House of Commons has clerks, parliamentary reporters and translators who capture what is said into the microphones mounted on each desk. Each mic is activated from a remote panel when the Speaker recognizes an M.P. who then has the floor.

As Members’ Statements draw to a close and Question Period looms, M.P.s pour into both sides of the House. Questions and answers are limited to 35 seconds each, which works for the television format that has taken Parliament by storm. Canada is the only country that allows any and all members of the opposition to publicly ask the Prime Minister a question without prior written notice.

To get the full flavour of the House of Commons, you need to listen to the debates during other parts of the day and evening as M.P.s often speak with passion about the pros and cons of proposed legislation. I have given many of those 10- and 20-minute speeches since I was elected to the House in 1993 and it has been my privilege to have my arguments recorded in Hansard. Most of the fine-tuning of legislation is still done at the Standing Committees of each government department.

The House of Commons isn’t quite as one-dimensional as many Canadians are led to believe. Steeped in history and evolved through time, it is a place that we can be proud of once the circus gives way to rational debate and innovative ideas.

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