Monday in the Commons, and true to form, none of the leaders were present — never mind that there are a mere four weeks left. Megan Leslie led off, asking about the GHG emissions targets announced by the government. Leona Aglukkaq got up and read a statement about their sector-by-sector approach, and that they wouldn’t implement a carbon tax. Leslie raised the use of offset credits, which the government used to decry, and Aglukkaq simply read the next non sequitur talking point on her list. Leslie then moved onto the PMO interference in the audit of Mike Duffy, to which Paul Calandra reminded her that it was before the courts. Peter Julian asked the same again in French, and got the same response from Calandra in English, and brought up the NDP satellite offices. Julian tried to bring the rest of the Senate into the mix, but Calandra gave a pro forma response about cooperation, and reminded them about the satellite offices. Emmanuel Dubourg led for the Liberals, and asked another youth unemployment as a way of touting the Liberal plan. Pierre Poilievre touted the government’s  plan in response. Ralph Goodale was up next, and slammed the government’s growth record, to which Poilievre repeated his Tax Cuts, Training and Trade™ talking point. For his final question, Goodale decried the government’s child tax plans, to which Poilievre insisted that he was wrong, and that even the PBO said the government plan was okay.

Round two, and Ève Péclet tried to decry the scandals in the Senate (Calandra: You owe $30,000 for those office said), Irene Mathyssen read another kick at the Senate (Calandra: Satellite offices), Randall Garrison and Rosane Doré Lefebvre asked about the RCMP dismantling Operation Condor (Blaney: The RCMP is responsible for their operational choices), and Doré Lefebvre and Brian Masse asked about people accused of sexual assault being able to cross the border unchallenged (Blaney: We take border security seriously), Andrew Cash and Lysane Blanchette-Lamothe asked about permanent residents being denied travel documents (Alexander: They should become Canadian citizens). Chrystia Freeland asked about the stalled trade negotiations with Japan (Gill: We are advancing our trade interests), and she and Marc Garneau asked when CETA would be ratified (Gill: We’ve signed more trade agreements than you did). Robert Chisholm and Charmaine Borg asked about mail delivery (Watson: Canada Post is arm’s length), and Pierre Dionne Labelle and Pat Martin asked about a labour movement exhibit being axed at the Museum of History (Glover: Arm’s length, and you voted against increasing their funding).

Round three saw questions on CBC funding, opposition to the Victims of Communism monument, Cape Breton funding, the complicated criteria for the Canada 150 infrastructure fund, timelines for the new RCMP in Surrey, veterans who couldn’t get benefits for PTSD even though that was why they were discharged, social housing, a vacancy on the VIA Rail board, Haitian immigration humanitarian claims deadlines, and TPP negotiations around Supply Management.

Overall, it wasn’t a great day, but it was also wasn’t a terrible one either. I remain disappointed that nobody asked about the retroactive legislation to protect the RCMP for their deleting those records, because it remains an important issue. It’s too bad the official opposition couldn’t be bothered to ask about it rather than asking another rhetorical question about the Senate.

Sartorially speaking, snaps go out to Stella Ambler for a pink woven jacket with a black dress, and to Kennedy Stewart for a dark grey suit with a crisp white shirt and a light purple tie. Style citation goes out to Bal Gosal for a navy suit with a swamp water beige shirt and tie, and to Françoise Boivin for her tan, brown and blue jacket that appeared to have been made from a wall hanging.