In the bucolic early days of reality TV, a bunch of randoms were cast for a show, and it was only as the action unfolded and the producers had fun in the editing suite that personalities and archetypes would emerge.
But then, as the genre matured, people got wise to the game and would come onto these shows ready to claim their camera time with a prefab personality they wore like a Halloween costume. The whole thing went meta, with everyone winking at the invisible audience from behind their chosen façade. The rest of Ms. Freeland’s purported answer was drowned out by cackling and loud harrumphing from the respective benches. Then Speaker Greg Fergus asked her to withdraw, Conservative MP Rachael Thomas was asking Heritage Minister Pascale St-Onge a string of questions about funding for news outlets. At one point, she requested that the minister “if at all possible” respond in English.
But when the NDP Leader asked to enter his prop into evidence, the committee refused because he hadn’t had the questions translated. “I think there’s a perception among members of Parliament that they need to gain attention and find ways to stand out,” he said. “And for some, I think that has meant being very sharp, being highly critical, highly partisan, on social media.”