QP: Trying to start a different conspiracy theory

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Thursday post-budget, and most of the leaders were away, off to sell their own version of what it contained. That led Lisa Raitt to lead off, asking about the tariffs on steel and aluminium that President Trump levied earlier today. François-Philippe Champagne said that they were sorting out the situation and any tariffs were unacceptable. Raitt moved onto the Jaspel Atwal issue and the spectre of a diplomatic rift with India, to which Kirsty Duncan stood up and recited the well-worn talking points about the invitation being rescinded and defending the integrity of public servants. Raitt worried that Canada was becoming a laughing stock, and Duncan recited about their respect for the work of public servants and national security agencies. Alain Rayes took over in French, and Duncan repeated the former talking points. Rayes demanded an explanation, but Duncan re-read the praise for the public service. Ruth Ellen Brosseau led for the NDP, concern trolling around the details around the pharmacare announcement. Bill Morneau said they were looking for expert advice to figure out how best to get pharmaceutical drugs to Canadians who need them. Brosseau switched to French to raise the concerns by groups that Morneau was somehow in a conflict of interest around those discussions because his former company administers benefit plans, but Morneau reiterated his previous response in French. Peter Julian took over to ask the very same thing, and this time Morneau got in a zinger about the NDP and Pierre Poilievre’s lack of expertise on this policy. Julian railed about Morneau Shepell, and this time Ginette Petitpas Taylor praised the work done on the file to date and that this would carry it forward.

Round two, and Erin O’Toole, Pierre Paul-Hus, Bob Saroya, and Shannon Stubbs returned to the Atwal issue (Holland: You guys cut the security services). Hélène Laverdière asked yet again what the purpose of the India trip was (Champagne: The trip was to strengthen cultural and economic links with India), and Charlie Angus offered some clownish comments about Atwal (Holland: invitation was rescinded). Luc Berthold asked about agricultural investment (MacAulay: Did you see the list of investments in last year’s budget), and Randy Hoback and John Barlow worried about the rail grain backlog (MacAulay: We have a bill in the Senate to create a fix for the long-term; McCrimmon: We are giving the companies time to fix this before we intervene). Brigitte Sansoucy and Don Davies returned to the pharmacare proposal (Petitpas Taylor: This committee will continue the work that the health committee started and we look forward to their recommendations).

Round three saw questions on the deficit (Morneau: We’ve created jobs and growth), the Churchill rail line (McCrimmon: We will continue to support negotiations with interested buyers), PRV in farmed salmon (LeBlanc: We have invested in advance science and auditing), the Arctic surf clam quota (LeBlanc: We included Indigenous communities into this fishery), Indigenous economic development (Philpott: We are making investments and closing gaps), Davie shipyards (Qualtrough: We are negotiating with Davie), taxing Netflix (Casey: We are developing a global solution but won’t do things piecemeal), meetings with forestry groups (McKenna: I meet with as many groups as I can, and yay investments in the budget), and Spruce Budworm in Quebec (Carr: We are aware of the problems of these pests, and we have invested in research and finding a way to keep pest populations low).

Overall, I found myself repeatedly asking just how obtuse the questions around the Jaspel Atwal issue could possibly be, because there seemed to be absolutely no critical thinking that went into their preparation. Are we really taking everything that Atwal and the Indian government are saying at face value? Really? That seems…problematic. I also found myself rolling my eyes at the NDP’s attempt to create a new Morneau Shepell conspiracy theory, this time around pharmacare. It’s getting ridiculous how often they try and use it as some kind of ham-fisted wedge. Meanwhile, I will note that after a few months of attempting to be statesman-like, Charlie Angus is back to his old QP form, complete with outsized hyperbole, couched insults, poorly referenced jokes, and ridiculous accusations. One would have hoped that there could be more maturity from someone who had leadership ambitions, but alas, that doesn’t seem to be the case.

Sartorially speaking, snaps go out to Peter Schiefke for a tailored dark grey suit with a crisp white shirt and a dark purple tie, and to Candice Bergen for a black belted dress with white and grey patterns along with solid black panels (and glad to see that she has recovered from two citations in a single week). Style citations go out to Ramesh Sangha for a brown and navy tiled jacket with a light blue shirt and brown tie, and to Marjolaine Boutin-Sweet for a black turtleneck with an oversized boxy orange jacket with too-short wide sleeves.