Many of them are among the creative ways MPs have found to accuse their opponents of lying

Apparently there are 106 things that MP’s cannot say in our Canadian Parliament … that information from iPolitics, by way of my nephew Steve. 

According to the Speaker’s office, Beauchesne’s Rules & Forms of the House of Commons of Canada, 6th edition (1989) contains the most recent summary of insults, insinuations, epithets and allegations that have been made in Parliament over the years and ruled to be “unparliamentarily language” – a list that runs more than four pages.

Many of them, such as “deliberately misstated the truth” or “intentional deceit” are among the creative ways MPs have found to accuse their opponents of lying. Others, such as “inspired by forty-rod whiskey” or “dim-witted saboteur” are rather biting observations on the character of other MPs.

In the end, though, it is up to the Speaker to decide whether language used in the House is “temperate and worthy of the place in which it is spoken” so a word that is acceptable in one context may not be in another.

Well by now you are probably wondering what those words are.  Wonder no more as they follow below.  As you read them, note the ones I have highlighted with italics --- those are one that I believe may be applicable to ‘some’ who hold elected office here in British Columbia.

A parliamentary pugilist and political bully (1875)

Abusing his position in the House (1877)

A bag of wind (1878)

Scarcely entitled to be called gentlemen (1876)

A servile (meaning submissive) follower of the government (1878)

Honourable only by courtesy (1880)

Inspired by forty-rod whiskey (1881)

Sitting for his constituency by the grace of the leader of the Government (1884)

Coming into the world by accident (1886)

Insolent and impertinent (1890)

A parliamentary babe and suckling (1890)

A blatherskite (meaning someone who enjoys silly or unimportant chat) -- 1890

Disgracing the House (1896)

Talking twaddle (1898)

Living politically by deceit (1899)

Grovelling in the dirt in order to get an office (1900)

A cowardly slanderer and a bully (1907)

Misrepresenting his constituency (1909)

The political sewer pipe from Carleton County (1917)

Seeking cheap notoriety (1919)

A trickster (1919)

Lacking in intelligence (1934)

Hysterical (1943)

Stooping to pretty low motives (1956)

Attempting to distort the facts as he had in the past (1956)

A dim-witted saboteur (1956)

Above the truth (1962)

Ass (1970)

Attempted to misrepresent (1961)

B and B gang (1964)

Bullshit (1973)

Canadian Mussolini (1964)

Cheap political way (1960)

Crook (1971)

Deceive (1977)

Deceived (1960)

Deliberate distortion (1968)

Deliberate malignity (that means “an intentionally harmful or evil act) … 1962

Deliberate falsehood (1961)

Deliberately trying to pervert (1960)

Deliberately deceived (1960)

Deliberately distorted (1972)

Deliberately misstated the truth (1960)

Deliberately misled (1959)

Deliberately misleading (1977)

Demagogue (1963)

Devoid of honour (1960)

Dictatorial attitude (1961)

Dishonest (1959)

Dishonest insinuations (1960)

Dishonest performance (1960)

Dishonest answers (1968)

Does not have a spine (1971)

Evil genius (1962)

Fabricated a statement (1961)

False (1961)

Fabrication (1959)

False representations (1975)

False statement (1961)

Falsehood (1976)

Falsify (1964)

Fraud (1960)

Fraudulent character (1962)

Has not got the guts (1959)

Hypocrites (1961)

Hypocritical (1961)

Idiot (1962)

Ignoramus (1961)

Illegal (1977)

Illegal actions (1976)

Insolent and irresponsible reply (1962)

Intentional deceit (1961)

Irresponsible Members (1969)

Irresponsible reply (1962)

Joker in this House (1960)

Kangaroo court (1960)

Lie (1959)

Lies (1976)

Members have aligned themselves with the murderers in Quebec (1970)

Mislead (1958)

Misleading the public (1960)

Nazi (1962)

Nefarious (1960)

Not telling the truth (1960)

Not telling the complete truth (1964)

Obstruct the operation of government (1957)

Obstructionist (1961)

Offensive (1964)

Pompous Ass (1967)

Reneged promises (1962)

Scurrilous (1961)

Shameful conduct (1960)

Sick animal (1966)

Silly reason (1961)

Slanderous accusations (1960)

Small and cheap (1960)

Stealing (1960)

Theft (1960)

To hell with Parliament attitude (1961)

Trained seal (1961)

Treason (1957)

Trickery (1959)

Underhanded (1961)

Untrue statement (1961)

Violated his oath (1967)

Wilfully misled (1970)

The folks at iPolitics also provided a list of words and phrases that are allowable in the federal parliament.   

They follow below, and again I have italicized the ones which seem fitting for our own BC legislature:

Arrogant (1970)

Ashamed of their past actions (1964)

Aspersions (1959)

Barefaced falsehood (1971)

Black sheep (1964)

Blackmail (1971)

Cast reflections (1972)

Change one’s mind (1964)

Change sides (1964)

Clownery (1975)

Cover-up (1977)

Coward (1976)

Culpability (1977)

Cynics (1975)

Debased (meaning corrupted or supplied) … 196

Deceive (1970)

Delaying the House (1973)

Depriving (1960)

Dishonest (1959)

False (1961)

Falsehoods (1977)

Filibuster (1958)

Forged (1967)

Fraudulent (1964)

From dishonest to unfair (1957)

Hypocrisy (1966)

Hypocrites (1975)

Indecent (1964)

Insincere (1964)

Insinuations (1965)

Malicious attack (1960)

Misinforming (1964)

Misleading (1960)

Misled (1974)

Misrepresentations (1974)

Momentary mental relapse (1960)

Mouthpiece (1974)

Not telling the truth (1970)

Obscene (1971)

Obstruction (1962)

Partiality (1964)

Phony (1959)

Rotten speech (1964)

Scandalous (1960)

Separatist (1964)

Smokescreen (1960)

Spurious charge (1966)

Stinker (1969)

Stupid (1964)

Stupid filibuster (1969)

Stupid statement (1970)

Subterfuge (1961)

The pig has nothing left but a squeak (1977)

Trickery (1968)

Unscrupulous (1966)

Untrue (1977)

Untruthful (1977)

Worst president of the Privy Council (1976)

It seems sad that in reading these words and phrases, that so many seemed applicable to the style of government we have had in the BC legislature over the past few decades.