QP: Bono’s big visit

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With Bono promised to attend, MPs were vibrating with fannish glee during Members’ Statemets. Thomas Mulcair even showed up on a Monday, which is an indication of how big of a deal they were making of it. When he led off, he led immediately with the AG report on the Senate, and asked about PMO interference (not that any has been alleged). Paul Calandra, quite predictably, brought up the NDP satellite offices. Mulcair then raised the mischief-making of the possibility that Senators won’t travel extra city blocks to get cheaper temporary office space, to which Diane Finley made a bland statement about expecting senators to take whatever temporary office space if given to them. Mulcair then went on a soliloquy that he is probably glad he was shielded by privilege for, and asked a rhetorical question about why the PM appointed the senators he did, not that Calandra’s reply changed from before. Mulcair changed topics, brought up Bono (who still had not arrived) and the fact that the government has not committed to actually doing anything about the poverty pledge they are signing onto. Christian Paradis praised the government’s programmes abroad. Mulcair noted the poverty among First Nations, to which Bernard Valcourt listed their success stories in the north. Ralph Goodale led off for the Liberals, asking about the Information Commissioner’s decision to take the government to court over those deleted gun registry records, and wondered who counselled the behaviour. Stephen Blaney touted the destruction of said registry and gave a false point another the will of parliament. Goodale pressed, and Blaney doubled down. Stéphane Dion gave it a go in French, and got the same answer — again.

Round two, and Hélène Laverdière and Paul Dewar asked about the millennium development goals — just as Bono arrived (Paradis: Look at all of our successful programmes; Nicholson: We won’t sign onto the small arms treaty unless it’s in the best interest of Canadians), Ève Péclet and Charlie Angus hysterically misrepresented both the AG audit and the temporary office issue (Calandra: Your satellite offices; Finley: We expected them to take the offices we provide), Angus and Mathieu Ravignat moralised about the new government polling (Poilievre: Here’s a plug for our child programmes; Calandra: Why are you being a schoolyard bully about my hair), and Peter Julian decried government advertising (Calandra: Pay back for satellite offices). Kirstie Duncan and Marc Garneau asked about new development goals (Bergen: Our benefits help people get out of poverty), and Scott Brison asked about student summer jobs (Poilievre: We have maintained the funding). Christine Moore and Murray Rankin asked about health transfers (McLeod: Health transfers have increased), and Andrew Cash and Lysane Blanchette-Lamothe decried refugee healthcare cuts (Alexander: You want to give money to failed claimants).

Round three saw questions on Air Canada employees possibly losing benefits, cuts to tourism funding, the decline in the manufacturing sector figures, the working poor, First Nations children in foster care in Manitoba, naval supply ships, the Energy East pipeline decision, and the Great Lakes protection act introduced due to die.

Overall, we can be thankful that we weren’t inundated with U2-themed puns, but the fact that Paul Calandra railed about the heckling of his haircut was certainly not endearing to our parliament given the attendance of such a celebrity. As well, Mulcair and company’s continued misrepresentation of the AG’s report on the Senate, as well as that temporary office issue, complete with gratuitous insults, is churlish and completely unbecoming. More signs that they are running on fumes, and need to go home. I will give props to the Liberals for not reading press releases and asking actual questions today, particularly about the issue of the Information Commissioner at that deleted information, which a bigger issue should be made of.

Sartorially speaking, snaps go out to Lisa Raitt for a nicely cut fuchsia jacket with a black top and trousers, and to Kennedy Stewart for a dark grey suit with a crisp white shirt and a dark blue tie. Style citations go out to Mike Sullivan for a tan suit with a bright orange shirt and an orange Paisley tie, and to Sadia Groguhé for a white jacket with an unsightly gold and black floral pattern with a custard top and black trousers.