With the PM off in Vancouver for the announcement of a major LNG project, the rest of the Commons was full and ready to go for QP. Andrew Scheer led off on the Supply Day topic of the day, around Tori Stafford’s killer, and demanded that she be put back in a facility that “looks like a prison” — never mind that the facility she used to be in didn’t have bars either. Ralph Goodale read his usual statement about ordering a review. Scheer then switched to the new NAFTA and the lack of softwood lumber tariff movement, to which Chrystia Freeland insisted that they got good things like eliminating Chapter 11, and removing a throttling of Canadian energy products. Sheer insisted that Canada only achieved losses and no gains, and Freeland read praise from Brian Mulroney in response. Alain Rayes took over to lament the lack of movement on aluminium tariffs, to which Freeland reminded him that they were advocating capitulation just weeks ago. Rayes tried again, and Freeland repeated the points about what they managed to get rid of, this time in French. Guy Caron was up next for the NDP, and caterwauled about Supply Management. Freeland insisted that they were preserving Supply Management for the future, and when Caron railed about the ways in which the government “caved,” Freeland assured him that they defended the sector in spite of American attempts to dismantle it, and that dairy farmers would be compensated. Tracey Ramsey raised the clause about the US being notified on trade talks with China, and after Freeland praised Ramsey, she insisted that we retained full sovereignty over our trade relationships. Ramsey then railed about steel and aluminium tariffs, and Freeland assured her that they were still behind the sector, and that the measured, dollar-for-dollar retaliatory measures were standing up for the sector.

Round two, and Dean Allison, Gérard Deltell and Pierre Poilievre listed off everything wrong with the trade deal (Freeland: Let me repeat the improvements we’ve made; Here’s Brian Mulroney’s praise; You were the ones handwringing over capitulation and you’re wrong about a cap on auto exports). Anne Quach and Alistair MacGregor worried on behalf of dairy farmers in her riding (Freeland: We preserved the system for the future). Lisa Raitt, Rachael Harder and Karen Vecchio concern trolled about Tori Stafford’s killer (Goodale: We are doing a comprehensive review). Brigitte Sansoucy and Don Davies demanded universal pharmacare in the wake of the new NAFTA (Freeland: We are taking measures to make drugs more affordable).

Round three saw yet more questions on Stafford’s killer (Goodale: Here’s Harper’s lawyer expressing concern about politicians getting involved in sentencing), the Environment Commissioner’s report on marine mammals (Casey: We are consulting to develop active and effective recovery plans), irregular border crossers (LeBlanc and Blair: We are working with provinces and municipalities), ill and injured veterans not getting employment transition (O’Regan: They all have access to the program and ill and injured veterans also have access to rehabilitation programs), freighters parking in the Salish Sea (Garneau: We  brought in our Oceans Protection Plan, and are looking at that specific issue), a veteran’s case (O’Regan: We have looked into this case and I’ll discuss it with the member outside), Supply Management (Freeland: We got the cultural exemption for Quebec! We are maintaining the system), and renewable energy funding in Nunavut (Bains: We are committed to supporting the regions, and we recognize the benefits of this study, and our officials are working on this).

Overall, it was a terribly repetitive day, like someone put on a greatest hits CD and let it run through QP, which makes for a dull day. Chrystia Freeland certainly got her workout in terms of reciting talking points, and sticking fairly close to scripts, while I was particularly struck by the fact that Ralph Goodale was also hewing to scripts today when he rarely has to as a matter of course. One imagines that PMO is trying to lock down the messaging around the issue of Tori Stafford’s killer, and while he has made some effort to date in debunking some of the misinformation that the Conservatives have been putting forward on the case, there’s further he could go. One imagine that he doesn’t, however, because they don’t want to seem too sympathetic to a child murderer.

Sartorially speaking, snaps go out to Mélanie Joly for a blue and black checked jacket with a black top and slacks, and to Jean-Yves Duclos for a tailored medium blue suit with a white shirt and red tie. Style citations go out to Erin Weir for a taupe jacket with a dark blue shirt, red striped tie and khaki slacks, and to Diane Finley for a shiny white jacket with big florals and pastel colour blocks.