What was likely the final QP of the year was very nearly a full house in the Commons, and saw the arrival of the two new Conservative MPs who recently won the by-elections in Durham and Calgary Centre. Once Erin O’Toole and Joan Crockatt took their seats, Thomas Mulcair started off by reading off demands for amendments to the Investment Canada Act, and intimated that the Prime Minister is scaring off investment. Harper pointed out that the markets responded positively to the decision, and hit back about how the NDP would shut down the oil sands. Mulcair then switched tracks and went after the F-35s, to which Harper shrugged and said that the Auditor General’s report found some problems with cost assumptions, but they had this new process going forward. Bob Rae then got up, and took umbrage with Harper’s characterisation of the the Auditor General’s report, and got into a back-and-forth with Harper about what was in the report.

Round two carried on with the F-35 questions courtesy of Christine Moore and Matthew Kellway (Ambrose: The secretariat is making a full options analysis), and when the pair brought up other jets to be considered, Ambrose said she’s not going to interfere with the independence of the process. Jack Harris then took over and demanded an apology from Peter MacKay for misleading the public on the process, but Ambrose kept up with her usual responses. John McKay then got up to hammer on the former statements about contracts, and demanded that she apologise on MacKay’s behalf and that he resign for contempt of Parliament (Ambrose: The Minister of Defence has done an outstanding job), Denis Coderre demanded the same in French, adding in the issue of regional industrial benefits (Ambrose: No money has been spent!), and Judy Foote demanded an open competition process (Ambrose: More of the same). Hélène LeBlanc brought up the Nexen issue (Paradis: You hate investment), but Mulcair took offence, and got up to dispute that characterisation and to lambaste the Conservative economic and environmental record (Harper: You would shut down the oil sands and now you want to defend them? We’re protecting our resources from a foreign power). And while Mulcair got angrier with each question, Harper’s smile got wider and wider.

Round three saw questions on Service Canada closures, EI claims for those with no Internet access, the size of the government’s advertising budget, the lack of compensation for travellers whose flights are cancelled, funding for athletes, the status of Downsview Park, the closure of a research facility, the protection of pensions with a closed pulp mill, and a private member’s bill.

Sartorially speaking, snaps go out to Maxime Bernier for a chocolate suit with a light blue shirt and pocket square and a brown tie, and to Lisa Raitt for a cranberry dress with a black sweater. Style citations go out to Diane Finley for a foliage print dress with a black jacket, and to Devinder Shory for a black suit and tie with a pale butterscotch shirt. Dishonourable mentions go out to Niki Ashton for a bright yellow jacket with a black top and trousers, and to Rosane Doré Lefebvre for a mustard dress and black jacket.