Too rude? Panelists talk politeness in politics today in Convocation Hall

MPs from three of Canada's federal political parties will be on campus today for a
discussion on civility in the country's Parliament.

Michael Chong, Carolyn Bennett and David Christopherson will take part in “Too Rude? Is it
time for more civility in Parliament and politics?”, a panel discussion slated to take place
today at 2:30 p.m. in Convocation Hall. The MPs will discuss Chong's private member's bill
which seeks to encourage better behaviour in the House of Commons.

Mary Koziol, president of the McMaster Students Union, will also take part in the
discussion. She says that events like this help students become more aware of how they're
affected by government.

“As students, we sometimes don't realize that we're impacted by all of the levels of
government in this country,” said Koziol. “Getting involved in a discussion like this really
helps students engage in the process.”

According to organizer Alex Sevigny, associate professor in the communication studies and
multimedia department, the event will serve as an opportunity for students in the
McMaster Communications Metrics Lab, who have been studying political civility, to see
how their research applies to the real world.

“Our whole COMM-Lab team is very excited to have three important politicians on campus
to discuss civility. These are the people our team has been studying. It's a great
opportunity to discuss our work with them in person.”

Sevigny, along with Philip Savage, associate director of the Communication Metrics
Lab, will participate in the panel discussion.

The event runs from 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. in Convocation Hall, which is
located on the second floor of University Hall. All are welcome and admission is free.