QP: Pointing out the line-item votes

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In what is likely the final week of the sitting, all leaders were present for what is likely the final Monday QP, and Andrew Sheer led off, and in French, he whined that his party forced a vote-a-thon, and demanded the cost of the federal tax on families. Justin Trudeau reminded him that everything was transparent on their website, and they have consulted with experts to design it. Sheer tried again in English, and Trudeau listed the line items from the Estimates that the Conservatives voted against in their vote-a-thon, and called their lack of a plan the real environmental cover-up. Sheer then moved onto that ISIS returnee walking the streets of Toronto, to which Trudeau retorted with the cuts that the Conservatives made to CBSA, and said that their security agencies are protecting Canadians. Scheer insisted that they had enough information to lay terrorism charges, and to this, Trudeau took up a script to list tools that national security agencies have. Scheer insisted that the government was taking away tools from National Security Agencies, to which Trudeau countered that they are in fact investing in new tools. Guy Caron led off for the NDP, worrying about child poverty in Canada, to which Trudeau reminded him that the numbers being cited were from 2015, before the Canada Child Benefit was created, which was lowering child poverty. Caron then cited the child removals at the US Border and wondered if the US was still a Safe Third Country. Trudeau stated that he wouldn’t play politics with this, but that the UN still designated the US a safe country. Jenny Kwan tried again in English, with added sanctimony, to which Trudeau noted that he was going to remain focused on a constructive relationship with the United States, and that he was trying to build support for refugees globally. Kwan demanded the Safe Third Country Agreement be suspended, and Trudeau insisted that he wasn’t going to play politics with it.

Round two, and Gérard Deltell, Shannon Stubbs and Pierre Poilievre returned to the demands for those carbon tax figures (Wilkinson: partisanship can’t cover up that you don’t have a plan). Alexandre Boulerice worried about the possibility of tariffs on the auto sector (Bains: We have a plan for the auto sector that works, and have made key investments), and Brian Masse worried that the boating sector would be crippled by tariffs (Freeland: We are consulting to that these sectors can share their views on the impacts). Michelle Rempel asked about Yazidi survivors petitioning the UN Security Council to get justice (Freeland: We condemn the atrocities, and have co-sponsored a Security Council refugees), and turning over the ISIS returnee to the International Criminal Court (Freeland: We have sponsored an investigation mechanism), and Pierre Paul-Hus railed about the returnee not being charged (Goodale: The national security agencies are investigating and will lay charges when appropriate). François Choquette and Alistair MacGregor worried that GMO wheat was found in Alberta (Champagne: We will ensure that we ensure a stable and reliable provider of exports and are working on this issue, and this was an isolated event; MacAulay: We will support farmers but Conservatives votes against funding).

Round three saw questions on home-growth of cannabis (Petitpas Taylor: We believe people will keep it way from children, much as happens in other jurisdictions), the lobster fishery shut down by right whale protections (Beech: We take the protection of right whales very seriously), GMO wheat (Champagne: We will work with our partners to restore market access), the Churchill rail line (Garneau: We are committed to the line, and we moved forward with legal action), staffing rules for passenger ferries (Garneau: Our priority is safety), Huawei as a security risk (Bains: We will always defend Canadians and our sector; Goodale: I have made it clear that while I don’t discuss specific cases, our agencies take appropriate actions to keep Canadians safe), passing the TPP legislation (Champagne: We introduced the bill, and we will diversify our markets), upgrades to the Harrington Lake residence (Joly: It is the responsibility of the NCC to upkeep residences, and the PM paid for some personal upgrades out of pocket), child poverty (Vaughan: Here are all of the programmes we’ve funded), the Gaza riots (Freeland: We vote for a US amendment to the resolution to call out Hamas), irregular border crossers (Garneau: We are working with the government of Quebec), screening asylum seekers (Hussen: We have given new funds to the provincial governments), and carbon price exemptions for Nunavut (Wilkinson: We recognize that climate action will look different in the North, and we are working with the government).

Overall, it took almost no time at all for the Liberals to start pointing to all of the line items in the Estimates that the Conservatives voted against in their vote-a-thon tantrum last Thursday, whether it was for ACOA, or agriculture funds, or any other myriad of good things that the government spends money on that the Conservatives apparently didn’t support. Because that’s what this kind of vote-a-thon of Estimates line items gets you, and this happened the last time they forced a vote-a-thon, and lo, it happened again this time, because apparently the Conservatives didn’t learn in their cynical procedural gamesmanship. The Conservatives have decided to return to the issue of that ISIS returnee, and make demands on the floor of the House of Commons despite the fact that it interferes with ongoing investigations and could impact on any potential successful prosecutions in the future, but why do those kinds of details matter when you’re trying to look angry about how the government is being soft on terror? 

Sartorially speaking, snaps go out to Shannon Stubbs with a black dress and matching jacket, and to Gagan Sikand for a tailored medium grey suit with a blue striped shirt, a navy tie, and white pocket square. Style citations go out to David Lametti for a light grey suit with a bright blue shirt and pale orange tie, and to Rachel Blaney for a black and floral tunic with slit sleeves. Special mention goes out to Mark Holland for a bright yellow jacket with a light blue shirt and navy tie with blue jeans. So it’s not yellow and black, at the very least, but it’s still questionable. One MP messaged me to say that someone had asked them if Holland had lost a bet. It…makes a statement.