QP: Woe be the small business

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While nearly all of the leaders were present today, it was the Prime Minister who was absent today (though he did show up for votes afterward), so when Rona Ambrose led off with another disingenuous questions about taxes, Bill Morneau stood up to remind her that they lowered taxes on millions of households. Ambrose then decried Trudeau meeting with billionaires and demanded that he instead reverse tax increases on small businesses. Morneau reminded her that those taxes went down, and that those meetings were bringing investment to Canada, such as with Thompson Reuters opening that new tech centre in Toronto. Ambrose closed with another overwrought lament about the plight of families, while Morneau responded with a list of the measures they implemented to help families. Denis Lebel took over, and lamented that the federal government was getting too involved in provincial jurisdiction around healthcare. Carolyn Bennett took the question, and reminded him that Jane Philpott was meeting with her provincial counterparts and they waned results for their transfers. Lebel tried again, and Bennett hit back with Maxime Bernier’s plan disband all health transfers. Thomas Mulcair stood up for the NDP, and decried “cuts” to healthcare — despite the fact that there aren’t any. Bennett noted that there was no cut, and reminded Mulcair that his election promise of increased health transfers with a balanced budget would have resulted in cuts across the board. Mulcair tried again, got much the same reply. Mulcair tried to insist that the government was confusing competence with jurisdiction with health spending, and Bennett laid out the divisions. Mulcair demanded that the Prime Minister meet with the premiers to discuss health funding, to which Bennett said there would be a meeting soon.

https://twitter.com/EmmMacfarlane/status/788446704429391873

Round two, and Alice Wong read some condemnation about taxing small businesses (Morneau: Those CPP increases are over a long implementation period; Chagger: We have invested in the middle class which includes small businesses), Gérard Deltell demanded the government commit to reducing the small business tax rate to nine percent (Morneau: We have decided to invest in the future), and Pierre Poilievre added the carbon tax layer to the small business tax questions (McKenna: Provinces decide how to recycle those revenues). Ruth Ellen Brosseau asked about supply management concerns with CETA (Freeland: We are working hard to complete this agreement), and Tracey Ramsay demanded the government fix the concerns in the deal (Freeland: Québec is leading this on Canada’s behalf). Shannon Stubbs and Matt Jeneroux decried the carbon tax’s effect on struggling Albertans (Morneau: Those family got a tax reduction this year; Bains: Here are some programmes we’ve been helping with; Sohi: Look at these record investments in infrastructure in that province). Hélène Laverdière asked about a bombing in Yemen and calls for a war crimes investigation (Dion: We have spoken against the Saudi intervention in Yemen, and we are calling for an investigation), and Randall Garrison asked about the contract to help test armoured vehicles sold to Saudi Arabia (Sajjan: There is a provision for the Canadian Forces to assist with arms sales).

Round three saw questions on the defence policy consultations, and allowing Lockheed Martin to participate in jet fighter procurement, an NDP gender parity electoral bill, the Russian menace, the UN Human Rights Council vote, the Vancouver airport not allowing Canadian catering companies, the situation with Muskrat Falls, rail safety, the fentanyl crisis, and healthcare transfers.

Overall, it was a half-decent day, but a bit boisterous at times. Carolyn Bennett, who surprisingly answered on Jane Philpott’s behalf today (while Philpott met with her provincial and territorial counterparts in Toronto) instead of the parliamentary secretary, was pretty scrappy, which made for some decent exchanges for the bulk of the leaders’ round. For the most part, the Conservatives stuck to the theme of small business taxes and the effect of other Liberal policies on them, given that it’s apparently Small Business Week, but the questions continued to have a lot of disingenuous framing or outright dishonest characterization of some policy changes, which doesn’t help everyone overall.

Sartorially speaking, snaps go out to Navdeep Bains for a black suit with a grey shirt and a purple tie and turban, and to Rona Ambrose for a black skirt and jacket with a white top. Style citations go out to Kelly Block for a slim short-sleeved dress with a maroon, black and blue leaf pattern, and to Scott Reid for a tan brown suit with a grey shirt and black tie. Dishonourable mention goes out to Diane Lebouthillier for a mustard turtleneck with a black sweater.

Programming note: Due to other commitments, I was unable to do a recap of Senate QP this week. Apologies for that.