The Role of the Opposition in a Parliamentary Democracy: Assessing Parliamentary Procedures and Democratic Deficit

The first concerns the role of the opposition in a parliamentary democracy (readings available on Moodle; think also about what you learned from Jennifer Maccarone MNA’s talk to the class ) :
What are some of the key parliamentary procedures that dictate the opportunities afforded to opposition MPs to effectively scrutinize legislation and hold the government to account? Is it reasonable to suggest that Canada’s parliamentary system contains a critical democratic deficit on this issue? What factors must be considered when assessing this matter?