QP: Shouting about layoffs

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Thursday, and already the absences started being noticed, as none of the major leaders were present. That left David Christopherson to shout a condemnation about layoffs at Tim Horton’s, to which James Moore expressed his sorrow but noted that the foreign investment was going to allow Tim Horton’s to expand, along with the new jobs coming from Burger King moving their headquarters here. Christopherson kept up, increasing in volume, and Moore responded with economic good news about investments in Canada. Christopherson changed topics — but not volume — as he decried the Prime Minister not meeting with the Council of the Federation. Paul Calandra insisted that the PM and cabinet meet with their provincial counterparts on a regular basis. Nycole Turmel read out the same again in French, got much the same answer from Calandra, and Turmel gave the Tim Horton’s layoffs question yet again in French. Moore repeated his previous answer in French. Stéphane Dion led off for the Liberals, demanding that the PM meet with the premiers in light of falling oil prices, not that Paul Calandra’s response changed. Ralph Goodale wondered why the snub if the fiscal issues were so severe as to delay the budget — Calandra repeated his talking points. Goodale brought up the delays in infrastructure funding and suggested the income splitting funds be put those investments instead. Peter Braid got to take this question, insisting that they have done more for infrastructure funding than anyone else in history.

Round two, and Guy Caron asked a vague question about working with the provinces to create jobs (Moore: We always work with the provinces), Anne Quach insisted the government wasn’t being protectionist enough (Moore: We are expanding trade opportunities and creating jobs), Sadia Groguhé and Jinny Sims wondered about the effect of temporary foreign workers on youth unemployment (Bergen: We started making reforms in 2012), Peggy Nash worried about manufacturing jobs in southwesten Ontario (Moore: Your figures are wrong), Nathan Cullen threw out a bunch of questionable assertions about the job market (Calandra: We are the envy of the world), Élaine Michaud and Jack Harris wondered about the clarity on the Iraq mission (Nicholson: We’re doing the right thing fighting ISIS terrorists), and Jack Harris asked about the increase in military suicides (Nicholson: Thoughts and prayers, we have increased mental health services). Adam Vaughan asked about infrastructure allocations for municipalities, bringing up examples of Regina and Cape Breton (Braid: They wanted a long-term commitment and we gave them 10 years), and Frank Valeriote asked about delayed changes to the New Veterans Charter (O’Toole: Your party brought it in). Peter Stoffer asked about the lack of compensation for chemical spraying at Gagetown (O’Toole: We committee $100 million to addressing historical claims to that base), Sylvain Chicoine asked about the $700,000 spent fighting veterans claims in the courts (O’Toole: You voted against stuff), and Lysane Blanchette-Lamothe and Andrew Cash asked about the court costs for fighting refugee healthcare (Alexander: You want to help fraudulent claimants).

Round three saw questions on federal funding for vulnerable seniors, the cost of hiring consultants to deal with Access to Information requests, the PM’s contradictions on our Special Forces in Iraq “accompanying,” the Saudi Arabian blogger’s plight, reprocessing single-use surgical equipment, a trucker strike at the Port of Vancouver, the negative impact of spills from Energy East, and protecting pensions.

Overall, the quality of QP dropped a couple of notches, and I think that Joyce Murray got it bang-on when she called the government’s answers “speciously insulting.” I remain mystified by the thrust of some of the questions about layoffs (are they insisting that the government legislate them away?) and disappointed that the repetition of questions in English and French, again in cases where an answer was provided and they ask the same thing again. Stop. It.

Sartorially speaking, snaps go out to James Bezan for a black suit with a crisp white shirt and a bright green tie and pocket square, and to Laurin Liu for a burgundy dress with tan side panels. Style citations go out to Lysane Blanchette-Lamothe for a red quilted dress with curious exterior pockets, and to Bal Gosal for a black suit with a pale cranberry shirt and burgundy tie.