A day after a relatively decent QP (emphasis on relatively), it was hoped that MPs could keep it up, this time with all of the leaders present. Thomas Mulcair led off by asking about the Ebola crisis in West Africa and asked about sending DART. Harper responded that he has spoken with the Director General of the WHO and that we are sending more aid but DART is not the right tool. Mulcair asked about the possibility of sending additional forces to Iraq, to which Harper said that they were still examining next steps and that a vote would be held if it was a combat mission (caution — it’s a trap!) Mulcair wondered if those air strikes could include Syria, and Harper didn’t want to speculate. Mulcair wanted to know when the Iraq plans would be tabled for debate, but Harper wouldn’t give a timeline other than “the next few days.” Mulcair closed by asking for a report on the activities of our forces on the first 30 days of deployment. Harper said that no one should doubt the impact of our forces, but didn’t provide an answer. Justin Trudeau asked about what support we have offered the Americans in Iraq and about our current objectives. Harper repeated that they were contemplating next steps, and that the actions in the region were necessary and noble. Trudeau asked about the accomplishments of the first 30 days and if CF-18s were specifically requested. Harper said that the people in northern Iraq were facing genocide and that it was important work — but didn’t answer the question. When Trudeau wanted more debate on the mission, Harper said that they should put partisanship aside.

Round two, and Mulcair asked how long the mission was to last (Harper: I don’t have those kinds of powers, but these are very bad people), if this is such a danger, why only send a few aircraft and military advisors (Harper: Suddenly we’re acting too slowly and not sending enough troops? Why is your position changing?), how long is this going to last? (Harper: We can’t throw out timelines we’re not aware of as this is a broad consensus between Obama and our allies), how is victory to be defined in Iraq? (Harper: We will work with our allies on a counter-terrorism operation until they don’t have the capacity to launch attacks), what is your exit strategy? (Harper: We can terminate deployments at any moment but we are looking at next steps), how long have you been considering air strikes for? (Harper: We haven’t made any decisions), What was in the letter from the U.S. last week? (Harper: We are examining what options are most appropriate), will you make the letter public? (Harper: We will make public our own decisions), and what are the rules for engagement for Canadian soldiers in Iraq (Harper: They are there to advise and assist). Marc Garneau asked about the lack of consultation on tolls for bridges in Quebec (Lebel: It didn’t take 13 years for our government to make a decision), Chrsystia Freeland asked about the stalling economy (Sorenson: We are focused on jobs and economic growth), and Arnold Chan asked about the lack of spending budgeted stimulus funds for the Ontario (Sorenson: Yay our economic successes). Mulcair was back up and asked how our advisors were to assist in Iraq (Harper: It is to advise and assist but not accompany), are they doing so (Harper: They are not accompanying Iraqi forces), are they assisting in targeting ISIS forces (Harper: We are advising, and I’m not going to get into technical details).

Round three saw questions on temporary foreign worker figures, a soldier denied compensation after injuries, spousal reunification for immigrants and refugees, truck side guards, cuts to the Native Women’s Association, the Fisheries ministers not meeting with environmental groups concerned with Belugas, a rusting vessel containing contaminated water, minimum distance between new buildings and rail lines.

We got a few bonus questions because things moved along quickly, which included Megan Leslie and Peter Julian asking about a free vote on the NDP motion on standing orders for relevance, (Van Loan: Ours is the most accountable question period; we have more free votes than you do), Rodger Cuzner asked about the Social Security Tribunal (Kenney: Referees come to decisions faster, and there is a 50 percent overturn rate), Brad Trost asked about NDP denying consent on the committees (Scheer: question out of order).

Overall, the first two rounds were some of the best we’ve seen in months, though some of Mulcair’s questions were phrased in such a way that he was pretty much asking Harper to tell the future. They moved along at a quick clip, and there was very little heckling or catcalling. Really, more days like these would be a very good thing. Also, the bonus round gave us a taste of how QP should be run all the time, with no speaking list and MPs standing to get the Speaker’s attention.

Sartorially speaking, snaps go out to Annick Papillon for a sleeveless grey plaid belted dress, and to Justin Trudeau for a tailored navy suit with a white shirt and a black tie. Style citations go out to Bal Gosal for a dark grey suit with a light cranberry shirt and a burgundy tie, and to Françoise Boivin for a creamsicle-orange boxy microfibre jacket with a white shirt and black trousers.