Bob Rae Voted Parliamentarian of the Year

John Baird, Jason Kenney, Peter Stoffer, and some guy named Jack Layton all take honours in the Maclean's survey.

Maclean's annual survey of MPs has found that Parliament thinks most highly of interim Liberal leader Bob Rae, due in part to how he elevates discourse in the House of Commons from name-calling to genuine debate. MPs also gave top marks to Immigration Minister Jason Kenney as the Hill's hardest-working MP, which comes as no surprise given that the man almost single-handedly created a new Conservative voting bloc among new Canadians from coast to coast. Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird took best orator, while the NDP's Peter Stoffer and Joe Comartin were named most collegial and most knowledgeable. Former Afghan ambassador Chris Alexander was named best rookie MP after picking up a GTA seat for the Tories in the May election, while Tory renegade Michael Chong was named the MP who best represents his constituents. Jack Layton, the former leader of the NDP who took the party from the parliamentary fringes to the Official Opposition before passing away this summer, was awarded with a lifetime achievement award.