QP: Scattering instead of pressing

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Bill Morneau’s fiscal update a couple of hours previous before touched off a partisan storm over social media, which was bound to carry over into QP. Rona Ambrose, mini-lectern on desk, led off by reading a question about the size of the deficit. Justin Trudeau reminded her that they ran a campaign on investing to promote growth. Ambrose demanded to know who would pay for it all, at which Trudeau retorted that that they were already paying for the previous ten years of poor growth. Ambrose tried to burnish the previous government’s record, but Trudeau accused them of creative accounting. Gerard Deltell demanded controlled public spending, for which Trudeau reiterated his response about fudged numbers. Deltell gave it one last kick, and got the same answer. Thomas Mulcair was up next, and demanded the government respect the rights of Aveos workers rather than amend Air Canada’s legislation. Trudeau responded that they were proud that the agreement with Bombardier would encourage investment in aerospace. Mulcair asked again in English, got largely the same answer, and then demanded reforms to the EI system. Trudeau reminded him that they promised to strengthen the system, and they were going to. Mulcair demanded a universal eligibility threshold as part of that reform, and Trudeau reiterated that they were making needed changes.

Round two, and Lisa Raitt asked about the new consultant appointed while a plan was yet to be forthcoming (Morneau: The plan is coming March 22nd), Andrew Scheer tried to hammer on the fiscal monitor still showing a surplus (Morneau: A few months does not make a year), Pierre Poilievre demanded the government cancel the plans to tax stock options (Morneau: We are putting a plan in place for a more innovative economy), and Stephen Blaney and Kelly McCauley concern trolled about navy ships being built abroad (Foote: We are committed to the shipbuilding strategy, and no decision has been made regarding tugboats). Hélène Laverdière and Randall Garrison remanded acknowledgment that the Iraq mission was a combat mission (Sajjan: It’s a non-combat mission in a conflict zone). Candice Bergen and Ed Fast lamented the fictional national carbon tax (Wilkinson: We are working through a range of options including a price on carbon). Georgina Jolibois and Charlie Angus asked about First Nations orthodontic services being denied (Phipott: I am working with Health Canada to address these issues).

Round three saw questions on union votes, the Justice Minister’s husband’s lobbying activities, consultations with First Nations on the Site C Dam, Iran putting a new bounty on Salman Rushdie, the IBS movement, veterans affairs, the Robert Pickton book, the Air Canada maintenance contract, and changes of the Temporary Foreign Workers programme for agriculture.

Overall, the Conservatives had an opportunity to go hard on the fiscal update, and give some substantive exchanges between Raitt and Morneau, but instead, they decided to fritter it away, give Raitt a single question, and go scattershot for the remainder of the second round. They want to make the taxpayer dollars their brand, and yet they couldn’t maintain a sustained volley on the topic. They may need to reconsider their strategy if they want to press the government as part of holding them to account, rather than spending all of their energy trying to burnish their own government’s record.

Sartorially speaking, snaps go out to Julie Dzerowicz for a tailored black jacket with a dark grey top, and to Blaine Caulkins for a black suit with a pink shirt and tie. Style citations go out to Pierre-Luc Dusseault for a dusky rose jacket with grey elbow patches and a white shirt and a grey tie, and to Pamela Goldsmith-Jones for a loud floral collared shirt with a black sweater vest and skirt. Dishonourable mention goes out to Rachael Harder for a mustard yellow top with a black sweater with leatherette sleeves.

2 thoughts on “QP: Scattering instead of pressing”

  1. It would have been nice to see the date of the budget announced first in the House of Commons instead of at the same kind of phoney ‘town hall’ event that the Harper Conservatives used for too many of their economic updates. It seems that under the new government respect for Parliament will not be allowed to get in the way of political stage management.

  2. Good point Roy. People seem to forget this.
    Once again, a great report Dale.

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