QP: The sexist carbon tax

Posted on by

Following meetings with the prime minister of Portugal, Justin Trudeau was in Question Period, while Andrew Scheer was absent yet again. Lisa Raitt led off, worrying about the high price of gasoline in BC, which was being “compounded” by the carbon tax. Trudeau reminded her that BC has had a price on pollution for over ten years, and that carbon pricing allows people to make better choices. Raitt went for incredulous, raising the story that Trudeau has meals prepared at 24 Sussex and messengered to Rideau Cottage, to which Trudeau noted that the Conservatives were only interested in political attacks but not action on the environment. Gérard Deltell took over in French, noting that GHG emissions went down under ten Conservatives without a carbon tax — once again, omitting that it was because Ontario shuttered their coal-fired plants and the economic downturn, rather than anything that the then-Conservative government did. Trudeau reiterated that the Conservatives have no plan so they attack. Deltell asked again, and got the same answer. Raitt got back up, mentioned that the question was originally written by Gord Brown and had planned to ask it later in the week, and raised the issue of compensation for thalidomide survivors. Trudeau picked up a script to first give condolences for Brown’s death, and then added that they would have an announcement for those survivors soon. Guy Caron led off for the NDP, raising the problem of web giants creating the demise of advertising in newspapers which impacted press freedom. Trudeau took up another script to read about their support for a free press on World Press Freedom Day. Caron asked again in English, demanding those web giants be taxed, and Trudeau, sans script, reiterated his response and added that they are supporting local media via transition funding and CBC. Matthew Dubé worried about attempting to apply the Safe Third Country Agreement to the entire border, to which Trudeau said that they apply all of the rules and laws including our international obligations. Jenny Kwan asked the same in English, and got much the same answer with a slight admonishment that they were trying to create fear and conspiracy.

Round two, and Michelle Rempel worried that the carbon tax is sexist (Monsef: We apply a GBA+ lens to all spending; McKenna: Where was the gender-based analysis when your government closed Status of Women offices?), Jacques Gourde worried that spending was not being transparent (Brison: The PBO had to take you to court to get documents, and your government was the first in the Commonwealth to be found in contempt of Parliament for not turning over information), and Pierre Poilievre returned to his Carbon Tax Cover Up™ shtick (McKenna: We released a report this week, and you don’t have a plan; Emissions went down during your government because Ontario phased out coal). Hélène Laverdière worried a Canadian company was trying to sell helicopters to the Philippines via the United States (DeCourcey: We are applying the arms trade treaty), and Murray Rankin demanded a public inquiry into the Hassan Diab extradition (Alghabra: We advocated for his release, and any problems happened under the previous government). Pierre Paul-Hus worried about human trafficking as it related to irregular border crossers and the lack of a special advisor (Goodale: We discussed this with G7 security ministers last week, and we are keeping this front and centre at the G7 meeting), and Ziab Aboulatif and Alice Wong worried that irregular border crossers were taking resources away from legitimate refugees (Cormier: Those are different systems). Georgina Jolibois wondered about Indigenous rights legislation and consultations (Bennett: We’ve had 67 round tables and consulted over 1000 people, and we will do this the right way as soon as we can), and Romeo Saganash wondered about a bill on Indigenous languages (Joly: Let’s work together on getting a good bill). 

Round three saw questions on promotion of terrorism being removed from the justice bill (Goodale: What was in the existing law was a provision that was impossible to enforce, but we are changing it to ensure it makes it easier to prosecute), the Aecon takeover (Lametti: The Investment Canada Act contains a robust national security review), an ocean plastics policy (McKenna: We need to do more, in conjunction with provinces and territories, and we are convening a meeting to make progress), abandoned vessels (Garneau: We are dealing with this problem), voter ID (Brison: We want to make it easier to vote but tougher to break the rules), the Iranian nuclear deal (DeCourcey: All G7 leaders are taking this seriously), the Cambridge Analytica data and whether it can be preserved (Zimmer: We have made a request using our committee powers), Davie Shipyard ice breakers (Qualtrough: We are pursuing negotiations), and gasoline price fixing (Lametti: The Competition Bureau is independent, and we are monitoring their investigations)k and Chapter 11 challenges in NAFTA (Trudeau, with script: We are advancing our interests in renegotiations). 

Overall, we saw yet more examples today of ministers giving better answers than the PM did (and his response to Elizabeth May at the end of QP was particularly egregious), and I am particularly glad that Catherine McKenna is getting combative in her responses and finally dropping her platitudes. Granted, her assertion today that the Conservatives caused the last recession was…problematic (I think she likely meant that they handled the recession poorly, but that wasn’t what she said), but I will at least give her props for finally pushing back against the completely false Conservative narrative that they reduced emissions without raising taxes (they didn’t reduce emissions – Ontario did). It is starting to seem like maybe, just maybe, ministers are finally starting to get the point that not challenging the falsehoods and disingenuous questions being posed are allowing the Conservatives to get away with it. It would be nice if the PM could be a little better at it as well.

Sartorially speaking, snaps go out to Patty Hajdu for a black dress with a grey ring pattern and a white jacket, and to Frank Baylis for a tailored black three-piece suit with a light blue shirt and a red tie and pocket square. Style citations go out to Arif Virani for a tan suit with a white shirt and black tie, and to Cheryl Gallant for a pale brown dress with a darker brown knit jacket with pumpkin-orange trim.