With Justin Trudeau back in town, all of the leaders were present for QP, and most of the benches were pretty full. Andrew Scheer led off, concerned that “Jihadi Jack” was approached by Canadian officials to patriate him here. Trudeau took up a script to read that they they took terrorism seriously, and were collecting evidence to bring people to justice. Scheer asked again, more slowly, and Trudeau read the another script about travelling abroad for terrorist activity being a Criminal Code offence, but didn’t answer the question. Scheer tried a third time, and Trudeau put down the script this time to praise the work of intelligence agencies and security officials, and said they wouldn’t play politics with keeping Canadians safe. Scheer tried a fourth time, and this time Trudeau accused him of distorting events to create division. Scheer tried one last time, and Scheer accused him of grasping at straws to make Canadians feel unsafe. Guy Caron was up next, and he demanded more action on climate targets, and Trudeau read a script about all the good work they’ve done to date, taking a shot at the Conservatives and the NDP along the way. After another round of the same, Nathan Cullen took over in English, and cranked up the sanctimony as he repeated the question, and Trudeau said that while they have to do more, they are on track to meet their targets. Cullen railed again about Harper’s targets, and this time Trudeau noted that pricing pollution is part of the solution, as was investing in clean technology, citing the LNG agreement as an example of being good for both the environment and the economy.

Trudeau avoided answering the same question five times, and if he’s true to form, he’ll have a script that approaches the topic in another 24 hours. #QP

— Dale Smith (@journo_dale) October 16, 2018

Round two, and Candice Bergen, Alain Rayes, and Lisa Raitt demanded secret documents be turned over to VADM Mark Norman’s defence team (Goodale: We don’t prosecute criminal cases on the floor of the House of Commons; Brison: I was copied on a letter with two other ministers, and my job is expenditure review). Rachel Blaney and Matthew Dubé demanded that cannabis possession records be expunged (Blair: We will have a plan for records at the right time, and until tomorrow, it remains illegal). Glen Motz and Pierre Paul-Hus demanded that Huawei be banned from Canada’s 5G networks (Bains: We have processes and won’t compromise national security), Paul-Hus worried about enforcing legal cannabis in rural areas (LeBlanc: We have police forces the time they asked for and they say they’re ready), and Tony Clement worried about delays in RCMP labs for THC blood tests (Blair: For a decade, police asked for funds and your government didn’t listen, but we did). Karine Trudel demanded dairy producer compensation (MacAulay: We will fully and fairly compensate them), and Tracey Ramsey worried about steel and aluminium tariffs (Leslie: These are illegal tariffs from the Americans, and we have retaliatory tariffs that are implemented in sorrow not in anger).

Lisa Raitt accuses the government of being “in love with the constitution.”
Someone shouts “And you’re not?” #QP

— Dale Smith (@journo_dale) October 16, 2018

Round three saw questions on carbon taxes (McKenna: There is a cost to pollution, but we will give money back to people in a province using the federal backstop; where is your plan?), food insecurity (MacAulay: We are working on a food policy based on our consultations), labour shortages in Quebec (Hajdu: We have seen a growing economy which is why I’m working with my counterparts and investing heavily to make sure employers have the labour they need), money to UNRWA (Bibeau: We have renewed funding and we take the follow-up of impartiality and teacher training seriously), CPPIB investing in private prisons and tobacco (Morneau: CPPIB is independent, and they have standards of ethical conduct), New NAFTA terms (Leslie: We got a good deal for Canadians), the Mark Norman trial (Brison: That was a letter sent to two other ministers and copied to me, but I did my due diligence), demanding new climate targets (Trudeau, with script: We’re working hard to meet 2030 targets), and procurement obligations for Nunavut (Brison: We’re working on this agreement and taking a whole-of-government approach).

Instead of explaining about trade-exposed sectors, McKenna is chastising the Conservatives that they don’t have a plan, and lets Poilievre’s disingenuous questions go uncorrected on the record. Cripes. #QP

— Dale Smith (@journo_dale) October 16, 2018

Overall, it was not a great day, particularly for the government, which had a singular inability to communicate basic things. That Trudeau couldn’t answer Scheer’s basic question off the top was bad, and given the way things tend to go, it will probably be 24 hours before we get something that approaches an actual response to the issue at hand. McKenna, however, was extremely disappointing because she has been utterly incapable of setting the record straight on the issue of carbon rebates for trade-exposed sectors. She didn’t when the policy refinements were last announced (and her counterpart from Alberta had to go on TV to explain it), and she didn’t again today in QP when she needed to, thus allowing Poilievre’s lying about how it works to stand on the record unchallenged. Slow clap there, Liberals. Your inability to communicate your way out of a wet paper bag is gobsmacking. Get it together.

Sartorially speaking, snaps go out to Frank Baylis for a dark grey three-piece suit with a light blue shirt and a navy and purple paisley tie, and to Jennifer O’Connell for a pink collared shirt with black slacks. Style citations go out to Filomena Tassi for a brown jacket with florals and three-quarter sleeves with a black turtleneck, and to Robert Sopuck for his hateful tan brown corduroy jacket with a grey vest, light blue shirt and yellow and grey printed tie.