QP: Easter Theatre

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It was Friday-on-a-Thursday QP in the Commons, in advance of the two-week Easter break. Justin Trudeau was away, as were many ministers, starting to fan out across the country to sell the budget to Canadians, but Bill Morneau was present, and expects to be the star of the show. Rona Ambrose led off, mini-lectern on neighbouring desk, and she railed about the “betrayal” of the middle class. Morneau insisted that there were plenty of measures to help families. Ambrose bemoaned the size of the deficit, and Morneau returned with a dig about the previous decade of low growth. Ambrose asked which taxes the government planned to raise, but Morneau didn’t bite, praising the measures therein instead. Denis Lebel took over, lamenting the lack of a plan to balance the budget. Morneau praised the plan to grow the middle class. Lebel closed by repeating the question on the size of the deficit, but got the same response. Thomas Mulcair was up next, recalling Air Canada breaking the law regarding their maintenance contracts, and now the government was retroactively changing that law. Marc Garneau responded that the situation had evolved, and Air Canada had made new commitments to create new jobs in Quebec and Manitoba. Mulcair read some condemnation that the deal was “Orwellian,” and that the Liberals were letting the rich get off the hook, but Garneau repeated his answer about changing situations and competitiveness. Mulcair thundered about the government not respecting a Human Rights Tribunal on equal investment for First Nations children. Carolyn Bennett said that they were making investments, but the systems had to change as well. Mulcair then failed about a plan to outsource Shared Services jobs, but Judy Foote responded that the publicized report was from 2014, which they did not intend to follow.

Round two, and Phil McColeman asked about the lack of a small business tax cut (Morneau: We are helping the middle class), Gerard Deltell decried the abolition of boutique tax credits (Morneau: This favours the middle class) and that there was “nothing” for Quebec (Morneau: Middle class!), and Jason Kenney worried about the debt (Morneau: You left us with a deficit). Guy Caron lamented that stock options were not taxed (Morneau: We listened to people who own innovative companies), and why there weren’t immediate investments in infrastructure (Rodriguez: There are record investments in there). Pierre Poilievre thanked the government for listening to “his” suggestion on stock options but lamented small businesses taxes not being cut (Morneau: Helping the broader middle class; Hutchings: Look at other ways we’re helping small businesses), and Alice Wong read some more outrage about small business taxes (Hutchings: All these other measures). Don Davies wanted more investments in home care (Philpott: I am working with my provincial and territorial counterparts which will include that investment), and Tracey Ramsay insisted there was nothing for farmers (MacAulay: We are revitalizing the economy).

Round three saw questions on funding for public safety, military spending, EI benefits, energy sector investment, the senate appointments, measures for farmers (at which Lawrence MacAulay confused rural broadband with cellphones), the Air Canada maintenance law being changed, and the lack of changes for environmental assessments.

Overall, it was a day with plenty of puppet theatre action, and plenty of scripted outrage. No, really — when your voice starts getting hysterical, but you’re sticking to the paper in front of your face, it makes your delivery far less believable. Meanwhile, Thomas Mulcair’s yelling and questions themed around class warfare is looking increasingly like a desperate bid to ride the Bernie Sanders wave going around progressive circles, in the lead-up to his leadership vote at the party’s convention in April. It’s almost like the 22 Minutes sketch where Mark Critch as Mulcair adopting a Sanders-like New York accent was starting to play out in QP. After spending so long trying to bury the whole Angry Mulcair persona, it’s odd that his resurrecting it is part of his trying to hang onto his job.

Sartorially speaking, snaps go out to Jody Wilson-Raybould for a off-white three-quarter sleeve jacket with a black dress, and to Rob Oliphant for a tailored dark grey suit with a crisp white shirt with a deep purple tie. Style citations go out to Joël Godin for a medium grey suit with a solid robin’s egg blue shirt and silver tie, and to Anita Vandenbeld for a zebra-print jacket with a black turtleneck. Dishonourable mention goes out to Cheryl Gallant for a mustard yellow dress with a black leather jacket.