Charlie Feldman
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parlcharlie.bsky.social
Charlie Feldman
@parlcharlie.bsky.social
1K followers 140 following 940 posts
Fan of legislatures and legislation! Past President, Canadian Study of Parliament Group. Co-Chair, CIAJ Legislative Drafting Section. All views personal and most likely uninformed :)
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parlcharlie.bsky.social
Greetings from Sintra. No Parliament here. 0 stars.
December 26, 2025 at 3:42 PM
parlcharlie.bsky.social
Dear fellow parliament nerds, I am pleased to report that my book "Unparliamentary" can now be pre-ordered :-)

I'm so excited I might have used some unparliamentary language when they told me :-P utppublishing.com/doi/book/10....
Unparliamentary - University of Toronto Press
Tales from Canada’s Colourful Parliamentary Past
utppublishing.com
December 24, 2025 at 6:44 PM
parlcharlie.bsky.social
Twas the night before Christmas and all through the House of Commons... one of my favourite Hansard editor's insertions:
[Editor's note: Whereupon a stout gentleman, dressed in red, with white firm trim, entered the chamber, exclaiming "Ho, ho, ho!"] Some hon. Members: Hear, hear!
December 23, 2025 at 2:32 PM
parlcharlie.bsky.social
Greetings from Portugal - very light turn out for "Bring your Hansard to the beach" day it seems
December 22, 2025 at 9:20 AM
parlcharlie.bsky.social
On this day in Canadian parliamentary history - December 21, 1967: Justice Minister Trudeau gives a press conference outside the House of Commons on the government’s omnibus criminal law bill. His notable quote? “There is no place for the state in the bedrooms of the nation.”
December 21, 2025 at 10:57 AM
parlcharlie.bsky.social
Back to my other December hobby -- applying freedom of information redactions to Christmas carols.

You know ███ and ███ and ███ and ███. ███ and ███ and ███ and ███. But do you recall, the most famous ███ of all?

███ the ███ ███, had a very █ █████
December 20, 2025 at 11:29 PM
parlcharlie.bsky.social
The Hansard factory looks lovely at Christmas 🎄🇬🇧
December 20, 2025 at 5:17 PM
parlcharlie.bsky.social
It's almost curtains up on "Order! The Erskine May Musical" -- I hear the Speaker role is brilliantly cast :)

Either that or I've misread my ticket..
December 20, 2025 at 3:27 PM
parlcharlie.bsky.social
Love Actually is a serious case of false advertising
December 19, 2025 at 9:03 PM
parlcharlie.bsky.social
Page proofs in my hands!

Brb going to add some typos to see who spots them first :p
December 19, 2025 at 5:34 PM
parlcharlie.bsky.social
Huge changes in the "senior ranks of the public service fantasy league" standings after this 🍿
December 19, 2025 at 3:40 PM
parlcharlie.bsky.social
To all my Canadian law nerd friends - Happy Vavilov Anniversary! 🎉 I defer to you on how best to celebrate but hope your day will be marked by reasonableness and, where appropriate in limited circumstances, correctness!
December 19, 2025 at 12:43 PM
parlcharlie.bsky.social
On this day in Canadian parliamentary history - December 18, 1996: A senator raises an issue that has caused many fights around the parliamentary procedure fantasy league table: Does the House need quorum before coming to the Senate for royal assent?
December 18, 2025 at 5:29 PM
parlcharlie.bsky.social
🎄DYK? The phrase "Christmas Tree Bill" for omnibus legislation in the US is believed to have been popularized by a Time Magazine article (first image) published in 1956. However, reports of senators using a Christmas tree analogy for big bills can be traced back to at least 1930 (remaining images).
THE CONGRESS The Christmas Tree Bill For 18 days U.S. Senators had wrangled about the farm bill, introducing more than a hundred amendments, rejecting 31 and adopting 21. At the end of last week, with some 60 amendments to go, New Mexico’s Democratic Senator Clinton P. Anderson looked at the result and said: “This bill gets more and more like a Christmas tree; there’s something on it for nearly everyone.” See Too Much Mystery. “I do not believe,” said Senator Vandenberg, “that the Senate will approve the fat rivers and harbors bill in any such form as it was jammed through the House at a single high-pressure sitting. Too many projects are traveling incognito. They are too mysterious to be safe or acceptable. There are too many suspicious presents on the Christmas tree. The bill must be debunked.” SUNDAY, JUNE 1, 1930 Vandenberg SENATOR FIGHTS ‘CHRISTMAS TREE’ “Pork Barrel” Features of Measure Assailed; Good Points Win Votes.
December 18, 2025 at 10:18 AM
parlcharlie.bsky.social
Curious if Santa will stop to celebrate 15 years of reaffirmed Canadian citizenship this year 🇨🇦🎅
Minister Kenney reaffirms Santa's citizenship during special citizenship ceremony in Calgary News Release Calgary, December 22, 2010 — Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney today reaffirmed Santa Claus as a Canadian citizen during a special citizenship ceremony. “We wish Mr. Claus all the best in his Christmas Eve duties again this year,” said Minister Kenney. “And rest assured, as a Canadian citizen living in Canada’s North, he can re-enter Canada freely once his trip around the world is complete.” Santa was on hand to reaffirm his citizenship while 100 new citizens from 32 countries were sworn in.
December 17, 2025 at 4:37 PM
parlcharlie.bsky.social
On this day in Canadian parliamentary history - December 17, 1952: The House celebrates MP Power on starting his 36th year of service. MP Power replies in part quoting 'an epitaph on the politician' that, I have to admit, I was not expecting...
It is perhaps well that I should take note of this warning and that I do not indulge in semi-senile maunderings about the good old days. Perhaps I might quote another little piece, I hope not quite so relevant but still salutary. It is an epitaph on the politician: Here, richly, with ridiculous display, The politician’s corpse was laid away, While all of his acquaintances sneered and slanged, I wept: for I had longed to see him hanged.
December 17, 2025 at 11:38 AM
parlcharlie.bsky.social
On parliaments with nicknames (from a Canadian paper in 1923)
PARLIAMENTS WITH NICKNAMES The habit of finding an appropriate nickname for British Parliaments of late years has seldom been in evidence. In the past it was different. Everybody has heard of “Barebones’ Parliament,” but perhaps not of “The Devil’s Parliament” and “The Drunken Parliament.” The first was given its name because... ... one of its members was a leather merchant named Praise-God Barebones. It was not a legal parliament—because the Long Parliament, which lasted from 1640 to 1653, was then in existence—but a Convention called together by Cromwell. It brought in Bills which were so far-seeing that they were not passed until recent years. “The Drunken Parliament” was a Scottish one which assembled in Edinburgh in 1661. Its historian says that its members were “almost perpetually drunk!” “The Devil’s Parliament” was convened at Coventry by Henry VI. in 1459. It earned great unpopularity by passing bills of attainder on the Duke of York, afterwards Edward IV., and his supporters. The famous “Long Parliament” of Cromwell’s time is known also as the “Pensioner Parliament” because it sat so long that members began to think they enjoyed a life-membership. The shortest Parliament in British history is called “The Useless Parliament.” It was convened by Charles I. on June 18th, 1625, adjourned to Oxford on August 1st, and dissolved on August 12th. “The Parliament of Dunces” was so-called because all lawyers were excluded from it. This embargo on lawyers occurred in 1404, and has never been attempted since. “The Unmerciful Parliament” earned its name by its tyrannical proceedings. “The Mad Parliament” was one of the sanest and wisest that ever sat. It earned its title because it insisted on Henry III. confirming the Magna Charta, and even appointed twenty-four of its own members, with Simon de Montfort as president, to administer the government. Finally, the “Running Parliament,” a Scottish assembly, got its nickname from the fact that it was constantly meeting in a fresh place.
December 16, 2025 at 11:34 PM
parlcharlie.bsky.social
Rejected parliamentary holiday card messages this year:
~May the red and green of the season remind you of upper and lower houses
~Hoping you gather with friends and family in numbers sufficient to constitute a quorum
~Wishing you and your family peace, joy, order and decorum
December 15, 2025 at 9:52 PM
parlcharlie.bsky.social
According to my phone - on this day in 2018: The House being dismantled
December 15, 2025 at 8:00 PM
parlcharlie.bsky.social
For the Astérix & Hansard fans (1999)
Des voix: Bravo! Des voix: Oh, oh! Le Président: À l’ordre, s’il vous plaît. Je demande au député de poser sa question maintenant. - M. Daniel Turp: Monsieur le Président, si on était dans une bande dessinée d’Astérix, on dirait: «Ils sont fous ces Rom
December 15, 2025 at 7:48 PM
parlcharlie.bsky.social
On this day in Canadian parliamentary history - December 15, 1999: Proceedings are slowed with multiple unanimous consent requests to table various documents - if my count is right, there were 37 requests back-to-back and no consent for any of them.
December 15, 2025 at 2:54 PM
parlcharlie.bsky.social
Sharing just for some light -- that time when I introduced my New Zealand parliamentary mace bear to his first Hanukkah. He really liked the latkes... we have that in common!
December 14, 2025 at 6:17 PM
parlcharlie.bsky.social
How small is Ottawa? I woke up to a selfie from a friend with another friend - the two had never met before. One sat behind the other at the National Arts Centre last night and noticed them looking at something I'd posted on Instagram and then struck up conversation 🤣
December 14, 2025 at 10:10 AM
parlcharlie.bsky.social
Heated Rivalry season two spoiler: This time it's based on 1930s Canadian politics when "lifelong bachelors" William Lyon Mackenzie King and R. B. Bennett switched places as Prime Minister and Opposition Leader and back again. 🍿
December 13, 2025 at 5:18 PM
parlcharlie.bsky.social
On this day in Canadian parliamentary history - December 13, 1979: Joe Clark's government loses a matter it regards as confidence 139-133. Since the end came rather unexpectedly, the Speaker clarifies he has "not arranged" (nor intends to arrange) for any hospitality.
Mr. Speaker: Order, please. I declare the amendment carried. It being after ten o’clock, this House would ordinarily stand adjourned. I have an indication that the right hon. Prime Minister (Mr. Clark) wishes to gain the floor for the purpose of making a brief comment to the House. Since it is after the ordinary hour of adjournment, he could do so only with consent of the House. Is there such consent? Some hon. Members: Agreed. Right Hon. Joe Clark (Prime Minister): Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. The government has lost a vote on a matter which we have no alternative but to regard as a question of confidence. I simply want to advise the House that I will be seeing His Excellency the Governor General tomorrow morning. Some hon. Members: Hear, hear! Mr. Speaker: Order, please. I have only two very brief things to say. The House will realize, I am sure, that it would have been most inappropriate for me to anticipate this decision in any way. Therefore I have not arranged and have no intention of making any arrangements for any hospitality. Some hon. Members: Oh, oh! An hon. Member: Why not? Mr. Speaker: Hon. members would not have expected me to anticipate any result one way or the other, at least I hope so. Therefore, I will not, I repeat, not be in the usual environment after this sort of event. The second is that this House stands adjourned until eleven o’clock tomorrow morning. At 10.25 p.m. the House adjourned, without question put, pursuant to Standing Order.
December 13, 2025 at 12:36 PM