Question Period (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Question Period is a Canadian
television newsmagazine
which airs weekly, currently excluding the summer months, on CTV
at 11:00 AM ET in Ontario and east, and 4:00 PM local on stations in Western Canada
. It also airs on the CTV News Channel at 5:00 PM EST. The program, which takes its name from the parliamentary
process of Question Period
, is an interview and panel discussion series on Canadian politics.
Debuting in 1967, it is CTV's third oldest series that is still in production behind W5 and CTV National News
. However, the series was suspended from 1996 to 2001 in favour of the similar Sunday Edition with Mike Duffy, a BBS
production which aired on most CTV stations and which was ultimately taken over by the network, but was then itself cancelled in 1999. Question Period would be revived in fall 2001, the announcement of which came shortly after rival network Global
announced a similar public affairs program, Global Sunday
, which also debuted in fall 2001 and ran for four seasons.
Craig Oliver
, CTV's chief political correspondent and previously the network's Ottawa bureau chief, has been co-host of Question Period throughout its current run, and previously served as a host during the final years of the program's initial run. In July 2011, CTV announced that former Global National
anchor Kevin Newman had been hired to co-host the program with Craig Oliver, with his position starting on August 22, 2011 (his first show aired September 11, 2011). Robert Fife
, CTV's current Ottawa bureau chief, fills in occasionally as co-host.
Hosts or co-hosts during the original run included Pamela Wallin
and Bruce Phillips. Past co-hosts of the show in its current iteration include Edward Greenspon
, John Ibbitson
, Mike Duffy, and Jane Taber
(through June 26, 2011); Greenspon, Ibbitson, and Taber all co-hosted concurrently with their duties as columnists for The Globe and Mail
, which during that period was part of the same media group
as CTV. Rosemary Thompson
and Graham Richardson
, among others, have served in the past as guest co-hosts.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
television newsmagazine
Newsmagazine
A news magazine is a typed, printed, and published piece of paper, magazine or a radio or television program, usually weekly, featuring articles or segments on current events...
which airs weekly, currently excluding the summer months, on CTV
CTV television network
CTV Television Network is a Canadian English language television network and is owned by Bell Media. It is Canada's largest privately-owned network, and has consistently placed as Canada's top-rated network in total viewers and in key demographics since 2002, after several years trailing the rival...
at 11:00 AM ET in Ontario and east, and 4:00 PM local on stations in Western Canada
Western Canada
Western Canada, also referred to as the Western provinces and commonly as the West, is a region of Canada that includes the four provinces west of the province of Ontario.- Provinces :...
. It also airs on the CTV News Channel at 5:00 PM EST. The program, which takes its name from the parliamentary
Parliament of Canada
The Parliament of Canada is the federal legislative branch of Canada, seated at Parliament Hill in the national capital, Ottawa. Formally, the body consists of the Canadian monarch—represented by her governor general—the Senate, and the House of Commons, each element having its own officers and...
process of Question Period
Question Period
Question Period, known officially as Oral Questions occurs each sitting day in the Canadian House of Commons. According to the House of Commons Compendium, “The primary purpose of Question Period is to seek information from the Government and to call it to account for its actions.”-History:The...
, is an interview and panel discussion series on Canadian politics.
Debuting in 1967, it is CTV's third oldest series that is still in production behind W5 and CTV National News
CTV National News
CTV National News is CTV's flagship newscast, which airs at 11:00 p.m. local time on the CTV stations across Canada, and live at 10:00pm ET, with repeats hourly up until 2 a.m. ET on CTV News Channel, CTV's 24-hour cable news television channel, and the previous day's can be seen on the Internet. ...
. However, the series was suspended from 1996 to 2001 in favour of the similar Sunday Edition with Mike Duffy, a BBS
Baton Broadcast System
ONT was initiated in 1991, consisting of eight CTV affiliates - seven owned by Baton and Electrohome's CKCO. Initially providing 10.5 hours of common programming each week, this was soon expanded to 35 hours....
production which aired on most CTV stations and which was ultimately taken over by the network, but was then itself cancelled in 1999. Question Period would be revived in fall 2001, the announcement of which came shortly after rival network Global
Global Television Network
Global Television Network is an English language privately owned television network in Canada, owned by Calgary-based Shaw Communications, as part of its Shaw Media division...
announced a similar public affairs program, Global Sunday
Global Sunday
Global Sunday is the name of a Canadian television news series, which aired Sunday evenings on the Global Television Network. The program was launched in September, 2001, with Charles Adler as host. Run separately from the rest of Global's news division, the program often reflected the political...
, which also debuted in fall 2001 and ran for four seasons.
Craig Oliver
Craig Oliver
Craig Oliver is a reporter for Canada's CTV television network. He is currently variously identified as chief political correspondent and chief parliamentary correspondent, and is co-anchor of the weekly public affairs series Question Period..Oliver was born in Vancouver, British Columbia and grew...
, CTV's chief political correspondent and previously the network's Ottawa bureau chief, has been co-host of Question Period throughout its current run, and previously served as a host during the final years of the program's initial run. In July 2011, CTV announced that former Global National
Global National
Global National is the national newscast of Canada's Global Television Network. Dawna Friesen anchors the program's weekday edition from the Global BC studios; Robin Gill currently anchors the weekend edition...
anchor Kevin Newman had been hired to co-host the program with Craig Oliver, with his position starting on August 22, 2011 (his first show aired September 11, 2011). Robert Fife
Robert Fife
Robert Fife is a Canadian journalist and author, who has been the CTV News Ottawa bureau chief since February 2005. Fife is also executive producer of CTV's daily political show, Powerplay with Tom Clark, and CTV's Question Period that airs on Sunday. He is a native of Chapleau, Ontario. Fife has...
, CTV's current Ottawa bureau chief, fills in occasionally as co-host.
Hosts or co-hosts during the original run included Pamela Wallin
Pamela Wallin
Pamela Wallin, OC, SOM is a former Canadian television journalist and diplomat. On January 2, 2009, she was seated in the Canadian Senate, where she sits as a Conservative.-Early life and career:...
and Bruce Phillips. Past co-hosts of the show in its current iteration include Edward Greenspon
Edward Greenspon
Edward Greenspon is vice president, business development for Star Media Group, a division of Torstar Corp. Before that, he was the editor-in-chief of The Globe and Mail newspaper, based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada for seven years...
, John Ibbitson
John Ibbitson
John Ibbitson is a Canadian writer and journalist. He is currently Ottawa Bureau Chief for The Globe and Mail...
, Mike Duffy, and Jane Taber
Jane Taber
Jane Taber is a Canadian journalist and former co-host of CTV's Question Period with Craig Oliver. Taber is also the Senior Parliamentary Writer in the Toronto Globe and Mail's Ottawa bureau, since 2003. She has also worked for the Ottawa Citizen and the National Post...
(through June 26, 2011); Greenspon, Ibbitson, and Taber all co-hosted concurrently with their duties as columnists for The Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail is a nationally distributed Canadian newspaper, based in Toronto and printed in six cities across the country. With a weekly readership of approximately 1 million, it is Canada's largest-circulation national newspaper and second-largest daily newspaper after the Toronto Star...
, which during that period was part of the same media group
CTVglobemedia
CTVglobemedia , was one of Canada's largest private media companies. Its operations include newspaper publishing , television broadcasting and production , radio broadcasting , and their respective Internet properties.Originally established by BCE and the Thomson family in 2001 combining CTV Inc.,...
as CTV. Rosemary Thompson
Rosemary Thompson
Rosemary Thompson is the Director of Communications for Canada's National Arts Centre, located in Ottawa. She is the former deputy bureau chief of the parliamentary bureau for CTV News. She was a reporter and frequent guest host on CTV programs including Question Period and Mike Duffy Live...
and Graham Richardson
Graham Richardson (journalist)
Graham Richardson is a Canadian television journalist who currently co-anchors CTV-Ottawa's 6 o'clock newscast on CJOH-TV along with Carol Anne Meehan.-Background:...
, among others, have served in the past as guest co-hosts.
External links
- Question Period website (CTV.ca)