While Andrew Scheer was off in Montreal to give a foreign policy speech, Justin Trudeau was present — as was a beaming Elizabeth May. Lisa Raitt led off, asking about the planned loss of jobs for people with developmental disabilities at Library and Archives, and Trudeau read a script about the Accessibility Act, and at the end, Trudeau noted that the contract was extended. Raitt then moved onto the Auditor General’s report on the backlog in the immigration system, and Trudeau responded that the system had been broken the previous government and that his government had invested in it, cleared the legacy backlog, and were transforming the system. Raitt called the Roxham Road irregular border crossing an “express entry” system, and Trudeau called out her fear-mongering before noting that migration was up across the world and Canada is committed to a fair process. Pierre Paul-Hus repeated Raitt’s question in French, and Trudeau read the French version of his first response. Paul-Hus went with the angry follow-up, calling the system “broken,” and Trudeau repeated that in the face of fear and division, Canada was doing what it could. Jagmeet Singh was up next for the NDP, and in raising the recent report on the loss of biodiversity, he demanded the NDP’s environmental bill of rights be adopted. Trudeau stated that while the NDP were all talk, his government was taking action. Singh repeated the question in French, and Trudeau repeated his response. Singh then read about a catastrophic drug case in Ontario, demanding immediate action on pharmacare, and Trudeau read about the planned Canada Drug Agency in the budget. Singh repeated the question in English, and got a same response from Trudeau in English.

OK, so PMO clarifies that this program is still being axed next year following an earlier extension, but that the disabled workers will now be offered different jobs elsewhere. Still seems like brutal optics. https://t.co/lDpLj0hS8L

— Don Martin (@DonMartinCTV) May 7, 2019

Round two, and Erin O’Toole raised Mike Pompeo’s pronouncement that Canada’s claim on the Northwest Passage as being “illegitimate” was a result of the prime minister’s “weak” leadership (Oliphant: The Northwest Passage is Canadian territory, and this is internationally recognised), Richard Martel repeated it in French (Oliphant: Have you even been to the Arctic?) before he and James Bezan asking about the MacDonald-Laurier Institute report on the fighter jet procurement process (Qualtrough: We have a fair process, and we could compare our record against yours any day). Jenny Kwan raised the Auditor General’s finding on government call centres (Hussen: We welcome the recommendations and the budget has funding to extend service), and Pierre-Luc Dussealt raised the CRA’s call centre woes (Lebouthillier: We are determined to change the service standards and are migrating to a new phone platform). Cathy McLeod, Dan Albas, and Pierre Poilievre demanded something be done about gas prices — the subject of their Supply Day motion (Fraser: Well, the PBO said that people would be better off with our carbon price; You are trying to mislead Canadians; Sohi: If you wanted us to move forward with Trans Mountain, you wouldn’t have voted to defund the consultations). Karine Trudel and Tracey Ramsey worried about steel and aluminium tariffs (Oliphant: Those tariffs need to be lifted, and both Republicans and Democrats in Congress have called for the administration to lift them; Bains: We have clearly been supporting those industries and have implemented safeguards and guarantees).

Round three saw questions on the carbon backstop levy (Fraser: The Saskatchewan Court of Appeal confirmed this is a regulatory charge, not a tax, and the PBO stated it will leave most people better off), biodiversity on Ojibwa Shores (Garneau: This is the jurisdiction of the Windsor Port Authority), emissions reports (Fraser: Those emissions were a result of the Fort MacMurray fires and you’re cherry picking data to make a point), the Mark Norman trial (Lametti: The department is fulfilling its obligations for third-party records applications), the refugee backlog (Hussen: You can’t escape from your record while we are reinvesting in the border and the IRB), free menstrual products for all women and girls (Hajdu: We are taking a first step by requiring them provided by federally-regulated employers), listing the Iranian Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist entity (Goodale: There is a specific legal procedure to be undertaken for listings, and we are pursuing all of the steps laid out in law), and irregular border crossers (Blair: We’ve already seen a 47 percent reduction and have given more funding to CBSA; Duclos: Quebec has always welcomed immigrants).

Leona Alleslev asks another torqued question about Andrew Leslie being a character witness for Mark Norman.
Leslie, at his desk, waves to her to remind her he’s right here. #QP

— Dale Smith (@journo_dale) May 7, 2019

Overall, it was almost a miracle that the Conservatives asked a question about the Auditor General’s report on the day that it was released – except that it was about the backlog in refugee processing, and that fits in with their narrative, so of course they would torque what the report stated and conveniently wash their hands of their own under-resourcing of the system when they were in charge that created the backlog in the first place. Also blown entirely out of proportion was the reaction to US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s comments about the Northwest Passage, and the shrill cries that the prime minister is so weak that he can’t counter this rhetoric entirely ignores the history of this issue, and the fact that nobody can deal effectively with the Trump Administration given that it’s an uncertainty engine that defies reason. Simply beating one’s chest doesn’t advance Canada’s position on the world, and pretending otherwise is jejune. Additionally, Leona Alleslev’s continued rhetorical bombast regarding Andrew Leslie providing a character reference in the Mark Norman trial continues to be bizarre and unseemly, and even Leslie himself was trying to get her attention while she was asking, but it wouldn’t matter – this is all for shitposts over social media.

Sartorially speaking, snaps go out to Michelle Rempel for an off-white wrap dress with black and grey lines, and go Frank Baylis for a navy suit with a light pink shirt and a darker pink tie and pocket square. Style citations go out to Marc Serré for a blue-grey suit with a blinding yellow shirt and no tie, and to Mélanie Joly for a black dress with green-trimmed ruffles and a tight floral pattern. Dishonourable mention goes out to Diane Finley for a black top and slacks with a pale yellow jacket.