Caucus Day, and the only other day of the week when we can expect all party leaders to show up — because they’re showing how much Parliament matters. Thomas Mulcair led off, asking where the budget was, to which Stephen Harper read off a laundry list of measures they have already brought forward. Mulcair noted job losses, to which Harper decried NDP tax hikes. Mulcair brought up the Governor of the Bank of Canada’s statement about the state of the economy being “atrocious,” but Harper kept up his same line of answers. Mulcair noted that the costs of our military missions being classified in budget documents, but Harper ignored it and touted their family tax cuts. Mulcair then brought up Jason Kenney’s misleading statements about smart bombs, and Harper again claimed the NDP would take away the family tax cuts, before decrying how awful ISIS is. Justin Trudeau was up next, and noted unemployment figures and demanded a real plan. Harper responded by claiming that the Liberals would also take away the family tax credits. Trudeau gave a jab about spending taxpayer dollars for benefit gain, to which Harper gave a bog standard “$40 million dollars” response before he again claimed the Liberals would take away programmes from Canadians. For his final question, Trudeau asked about partisan advertising, before making a dig another the absent Liberal party platform.

Round two, and Alexandre Boulerice and Charlie Angus asked out-of-bounds questions about the Senate audits (Callandra: What about the 67 members of your caucus who owe money?), Angus and Ève Péclet asked about the Information Commissioner’s report (Clement: We’re the most open and transparent government ever!), Sadia Groguhé and Jinny Sims asked about those Temporary Foreign Workers being sent home today (Menegakis: They knew the four-year timeframe when they arrived), Guy Caron asked about the new family tax measures being more beneficial for families without children in childcare (Bergen: All families will benefit), and Nathan Cullen gave some incoherent kitchen sink outrage (Poilevre: Your leader made despicable comments about stay-at-home parents). Dominic LeBlanc asked about job creation (Poilievre: Childcare benefits!), and Ralph Goodale decried the government’s growth record (Poilievre: Low-tax plan!). Rosane Doré Lefebvre and Randall Garrison demanded C-51 be withdrawn after amendments were rejected (Blaney: The Supreme Court said SIRC was great — not that anyone can point to when they actually said that), and about the aging CBSA lab that needs replacement (Blaney: We’ve increased the number of agents and arms them!).

Round three saw questions on meat inspections, a private member’s bill on Remembrance Day, that Saudi blogger who is imprisoned, income splitting, Valcourt’s closed-door comments to First Nations leaders in Calgary, retail job losses, Mohamed Fahmy’s passport, community mailboxes, and the federal budget at it relates to Quebec’s.

Overall, it was a loud and boisterous day, and the number of non sequiturs was undaunted. We saw questions on the Senate and on private member’s business, none of which is about the administrative responsibility of the government and should not have been allowed — so there’s that. Eve Adams got her first questions as a Liberal — much later than I would have expected, and not unexpectedly, the Conservatives quoted her former Conservative-era quotes back to her. None of it was edifying in the least.

Sartorially speaking, snaps go out to Rick Dykstra for a dark grey three-piece suit with a white shirt with purple stripes and a purple tie, and to Michelle Rempel for a very spring-like blue and green mottled half-sleeved dress. Style citations go out to Joan Crockatt for what appeared to be a greenish mustard yellow raincoat with black buttons, and to Jonathan Tremblay for a black suit with a bright blue shirt and blue-and-black striped tie.