QP: One last “PMQ”

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It promised to be the last big show of the 42nd Parliament, with all of the leaders present for one last time. Andrew Scheer led off in French, worrying about the start date for the Trans Mountain expansion, studiously ignoring the Federal court of Appeal decision that revoked the permit. Justin Trudeau reminded him that Stephen Harper didn’t get any pipelines to new markets, while he ensured they got proper buy-in from Indigenous communities. Scheer switched to English to repeat his disingenuous lines, and Trudeau repeated that the only way to build energy projects was to work in partner with Indigenous people. Scheer got increasingly breathy as he accused the government of trying to phase out the energy sector, to which Trudeau replied that the Conservatives won’t take yes for an answer, and that they were succeeding in what the Alberta energy sector had asked for. Scheer shouted about all the things he would do to build pipelines and said the prime minister couldn’t get things done, and Trudeau calmly replied that the Conservatives still don’t understand why they failed the economy for ten years. Scheer rose one last time to assure Trudeau that a “real plan for the environment” would come at five o’clock, before he switched to some scattershot condemnation about the Liberals protecting corporate interests, and Trudeau listed off all the things that Scheer didn’t get about the environment. Jagmeet Singh was up next, and in French, he demanded the government spend on green projects instead of pipelines, and Trudeau took up a script to list off all of the measures they have taken to help the environment. Singh, in English, declared that the TMX would generate no profits — which is news to everyone — and he decried the government not protecting the environment. Trudeau picked up the English version of the script to list the measures that they have taken. Singh flailed around about measures for the environment, and Trudeau reiterated his previous response without a script, before he put it back to Singh that there were Indigenous communities supported the project. Singh switched to French to worry about the project some more, and Trudeau raised the fact that the pipeline was more responsible than moving oil by rail.

Round two, and Candice Bergen wondered how many times he had been interviewed by the Ethics Commissioner (Trudeau: You can’t touch our economic record so you just sling mud) and whether he pressured Jody Wilson-Raybould go help SNC (Trudeau: You’re getting desperate now), Alain Rayes wondered how many times the prime minister met with the RCMP over his actions (Trudeau: Nothing but personal attacks from you guys) and accused him of having some kind of vendetta against Vice-Admiral Mark Norman (Trudeau: In the fall, Canadians can choose our record of reducing poverty or their personal attacks), and Lisa Raitt gave some quiet concern about ethical issues (Trudeau: You focus on me while we focus on Canadians), and she demanded a person apology to Mark Norman (Trudeau: You’re choosing to make personal attacks rather than ask real questions). Alexandre Boulerice and Peter Julian demanded investments in renewable energy (Trudeau, with script: Look at all the things we did for the environment; without script: There is a strong economic case for this pipeline to fund clean energy). Peter Kent spun a conspiracy theory about the PM being friends with Jaspal Atwal (Trudeau: More personal attacks), Steven Blaney accused the government of bringing back ISIS fighters and pampering them (Trudeau: You are playing with the truth), Mark Strahl railed about the settlement to Omar Khadr (Trudeau: When a government violates a Canadian’s fundamental rights, we all pay and we should be angry about that), and Phil McColeman railed about benefits going to veterans (Trudeau: Your party nickel-and-dimed veterans while using them as props for photo ops). Ruth Ellen Brosseau demanded action on Supply Management (Trudeau: Increasing trade is good for everyone, and we are working with farmers to ensure they get compensation), and Rachel Blaney railed about someone in Ottawa Centre with dementia not getting OAS — which isn’t federal jurisdiction (Trudeau: We released a national dementia strategy, but I’ll look into this case).

Round three saw questions on the deficit (Trudeau: We are investing in the Middle Class™), the Dené agreement being called off (Trudeau, with script: Concern were raised by Indigenous groups about the impact of the agreement on their rights, so we are consulting further), protection for woodlands and wildlife (Trudeau: We will reach our targets and are working hard on that), the carbon levy (Trudeau: Most Canadians get more back than they spend on it), irregular border crossings (Trudeau: This had nothing to do with my tweet), money laundering and policing the prime minister’s feminism (Trudeau, with script: We have invested in combatting money laundering), a private airport in Cape Breton (Trudeau: It’s always funny to see the Conservatives pretend to care about the middle class when they benefit the wealthy and hope it trickles down), pharmacare (Trudeau: We are moving forward on it, along with housing and job training), a Canada Summer Jobs grant being awarded to a group with potential terrorism links (Trudeau: We are standing up for a woman’s right to choose), the TMX approval (Trudeau: We can invest in the economy and protect the environment).

Overall, it was a scattershot day where the Conservatives in particular tried to score last minute points on their greatest hits, but none of their punches seemed to land very well. Trudeau largely shrugged them off by dismissing the personal attacks as “desperation” on the part of the Conservatives, while he shrugged off the NDP questions as all slogans and no plans. Add to that, any sense of shame that the Conservatives had in torquing their questions into the realm of outright dishonesty (or in Peter Kent’s case, conspiracy theory) was completely absent, not that Trudeau called them out on it. While he was fairly scrappy, calling out lies is apparently not “sunny ways,” and here we are. As for this being the final “Prime Ministers’ Questions” of the 42nd Parliament, it was a wet thud. The exchanges between Scheer and Trudeau were not riveting (never mind adding Jagmeet Singh to the equation), and it bodes ill for what the forthcoming election debates will be like. It’s just one more sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach about how much further our politics are becoming hollow and debased, and while Trudeau went out of his way to pat himself on the back for all of the questions he’s answered over the life of this parliament, there’s no accounting for the quality of those responses.

Sartorially speaking, snaps go out to Lisa Raitt for a sleeveless blue v-necked dress, and to Justin Trudeau for a tailored medium grey suit with a crisp white shirt and a pink tie. Style citations go out to Pierre-Luc Dusseault for a powder blue jacket, grey slacks a white shirt and a pink plaid tie, and go out to Joyce Murray for a pink, black and grey patterned dress with a powder blue jacket. 

2 thoughts on “QP: One last “PMQ””

  1. Absolutely disgusting. Their obsession with Trudeau is on par with celebrity stalking. Haven’t seen a Justin so reviled in Canada since, well, Bieber. At least his backlash is deserved. All Trudeau ever did was run for office and have a polarizing last name. Justin Pierre-James Rodham Clinton. Damn, but there’s a part of me that wishes he had stayed a teacher. To see him get eviscerated and tortured like this under public scrutiny, to be framed and smeared and unfairly made an embarrassment through no fault of his own, actually causes me physical pain.

    I can’t believe Trumpism has come to Canada. But none of these character-assassination tactics or manufactured Benghazi Emails nontroversies would have been so damaging to Trudeau or the Liberals were it not for the complicity of the bought-and-paid-for M$M. The Cons and their propagandist mouthpieces learned well from the GOP how to turn a good guy into Crooked Hillary for purposes of installing “their guy,” the well-being of the country or the humanity of their “target” be damned.

    But that’s all they care about, isn’t it? Move fast and break things, and line your pockets in the process. If Trudeau can’t dig out of this mess and ends up getting run out on a rail, then I hope he quits in protest, tells the Ottawa swamp to fuddle-duddle altogether and spends the remainder of his life building “Habitat for Hockey” homes like Jimmy Carter.

    I like Justin Trudeau. I want to see him rebuild his unfairly damaged reputation and do well in life. There’s an old saying about prophets not being appreciated at home. The social media engagement on U.S. accounts versus Canadian ones speaks volumes about how he’s received around the world compared to his own backyard, and that’s really sad. Seems the outsider perspective is the most accurate one. He’s a really nice guy who genuinely cares about people, and sincerely believes in doing better for Canada and for the world. It’s people with a zero-sum mentality who think the two are mutually exclusive, and that seems to be the age we’re living in these days.

    All I can say is, if Canada goes stupid in October and gives him the boot, mark my words: Just like with Ford in Ontario who got installed due to a virulent hatred of Kathy Wynne, you’ll be begging for him to come back. And maybe he will, maybe he won’t. Just watch him.

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