QP: Overwrought and obfuscating 

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After some of the soaring (well, overwrought in any case) rhetoric of today’s supply day motion on condemning the BDS movement, everyone was on-hand for QP, which one hoped would not be nearly so melodramatic. Rona Ambrose led off, mini-lectern on desk, and lamented that the CF-18s have ended their bombing mission before the debate and vote — as though it was a vote on authorization and not supporting the government’s plan. Justin Trudeau reminded her that Canadians voted for his plan. Ambrose then noted the job losses at Bombardier and wondered why aid was being considered for that company but no support was being offered for Energy East. Trudeau reminded her that he supported getting resources to market, but they needed a different process than the failed one that the Conservatives followed. Ambrose asked a muddled question about getting people back to work, to which Trudeau reminded her that his party was committed to EI reform, not hers. Gerard Deltell demanded aid for the families affected by the Bombardier layoffs, at which point Trudeau noted a decade of neglect by the previous government while his was working with the provinces. Deltell insisted that the Toronto Island Airport was the key to reversing these job cuts (as opposed to Bombardier’s poor management), but Trudeau reminded him of the contract signed with Air Canada. Leading off for the NDP was Irene Mathyssen who read some tired outrage about the TPP, for which Trudeau reminded her that the trade minister was engaged in consultations and that it would be brought up for debate in the Commons. Mathyssen asked the same thing again, got the same answer, and then Alexandre Boulerice demanded help for Bombardier. Trudeau reminded him that they were working for with the provinces. Boulerice closed the round with thundering denunciation of the job losses from the previous Air Canada maintenance contract dispute, but Trudeau reminded him that overheated rhetoric helped nobody.

Round two started with Lisa Raitt denouncing the Minister of Finance’s performance (Morneau: We we elected on a growth agenda), Joël Godin asked about the Quebec economy (Bains: We have a strong regional development agency making investments), and Phil McColeman lamented the deficit (Morneau: Debt-to-GDP will continue to fall). Robert Aubin returns to Bombarier job losses to ask about EI eligibility (Mihychuk: We intend to make it more accessible), and Niki Ashton blasted government actions around fishers in Norway House (Mihychuk: There is an ongoing investigation and I can’t answer). David Yurdiga asked about northern transfers (Morneau: StatsCan changed their methodology and we have made changes to the formula to reflect that), and Andrew Scheer lamented the unfairness of the equalization formula for Alberta and Saskatchewan (Morneau: The changes to the North was a statistics issue). Brigitte Sansoucy asked about private health being offered in Quebec (Philpott: We are working with the provinces), and Don Davies worried about a private plasma donation clinic opening in Saskatchewan (Philpott: We are committed to evidence-based policy and we are ensuring there are no compromises to the safety of the blood system).

Round three saw questions on pipelines, a veto being given to First Nations over resource development, the expiring softwood lumber agreement, the replacements for the CF-18s, the whether our soldiers are vulnerable on the ground in Iraq, aid dollars reaching terrorists, rural broadband, Canadians being held in China, and how the plan fight ISIS helps Lebanon.

Overall, the questions on Bombardier were hugely overwrought, yet nobody would come right out to demand that a company with poor management and wealthy owners be given free government money. As well, the questions about the changes to the ISIS mission happening before the vote were infuriating because it’s not a vote to authorize changes — it’s a vote to support the government’s plan, which is not actually binding on the executive. There is a way that Responsible Government works, and it’s not the way that either opposition questions make it out to be. Yes, Trudeau bears part of the blame for this one for agreeing to a vote in the first place, but cripes, MPs — your obfuscating how the system works for your partisan gain does more damage in the long-run. Knock it off.

Sartorially speaking, snaps go out to Rona Ambrose for a dark grey half-sleeve jacket-top and skirt with a black cross-hatch pattern, and to Justin Trudeau for a dark grey suit with a crisp white shirt and an eggplant tie. Style citations go out to Hunter Tootoo for a dark grey suit with a turquoise shirt and red tie, and to Candice Bergen for a brown and blue dress with a large black quasi-leopard print.