While Justin Trudeau fled the capital to go sell auto workers the merits of the New NAFTA over in Brampton, Andrew Scheer was elsewhere. Candice Bergen led off with the story of the murder of a sex worker of a person on parole, and demanded a denunciation of the Board’s actions. Bill Blair reminded her that an investigation has been launched into the matter. Bergen asked about MasterCard getting $50 million from the government, to which Mélanie Joly said that the government was investing into a cyber-security centre. Bergen said that MasterCard can afford to pay for their own cyber-security, and bashed the investment again, and Joly responded about the importance of job creation. Luc Berthold was up next to ask about the Auditor General’s budget, to which Jean-Yves Duclos effused about the Middle Class before citing that they would work with the Auditor General. Berthold asked again in French, and Duclos responded with the record on growth and job creation. Yves-François Blanchet was up next to worry about Teck Frontier Mine destroying the Paris Agreement, and Jonathan Wilkinson responded that they were still making their determination on the environmental assessment. Blanchet also worried that said mine would require new pipelines and wondered if they were afraid of saying no to Jason Kenney, to which Wilkinson repeated that they were still considering it. Jagmeet Singh was up for the NDP, to once again demand limiting the tax break in order to fund dental care, and Bill Morneau reminded Singh that their tax cuts have benefited 20 million Canadians. Singh asked again in French, and got much the same response. 

It’s a day that ends in y, so the NDP are demanding programmes that are under provincial jurisdiction. #QP

— Dale Smith (@journo_dale) January 30, 2020

Round two, and Michelle Rempel Garner cited a torqued reading of the Broadcasting Act panel report that it would force government control of news sites (Guilbeault: Your party can’t get their message straight on their response; We are examining the report and its recommendations), Gérard Deltell worried about the “Third Link” project in Quebec City (McKenna: We haven’t received the proposal so we can’t make a decision), Ted Falk and John Barlow lambasted carbon prices on grain drying for farmers (Bibeau: We are working with stakeholders and provincial counterparts), Simon-Pierre Savard-Tremblay, Mario Simard and Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe railed about aluminium under the New NAFTA (Freeland: The new deal has significant benefits for Quebec). Matt Jeneroux, Alain Rayes, and Leona Alleslev demanded more information on the plan to return Canadians from China (Hajdu: I said all options were on the table, and that 196 Canadians have registered for help in getting back). Gord Johns demanded an immediate end to single-use plastics (Schiefke: We put forward the draft science assessment today, and have a 60-day consultation period), and Don Davies returned to the question of removing Canadians from China (Hajdu: We will reveal the plan once it’s complete).

Round three saw questions on the investigation of the Parole Board (Blair: The criminal investigation is undertaken separately from the Parole Board investigation), the monitoring of possible ISIS terrorists in Canada (Blair: We have charged several extremists, unlike your government), the Palmero Protocol (Blair: We will ensure compliance), the RCMP being put onto the Phoenix pay system (Anand: We have made significant progress in stabilising the system and will ensure flexibility for those affected; Murray: The Conservatives botched Phoenix, and we are working to find a modern and reliable system), banning sexually explicit material from TVs in penitentiaries (Blair: I haven’t been advised of any change to that policy), keeping gang members in jail (Blair: You are wrong and we are taking action to prevent gangs and smuggling weapons), firearms training (Blair: I carried one for 39 years), the meth crisis in Winnipeg versus banning handguns (Blair: I consulted extensively with police chiefs across the country, and we are taking action), deporting illegal migrants (Blair: Let’s cut to the chose, and nothing in our plan affects legitimate hunters and sport shooters), handgun smuggling (Blair: You have some of your facts wrong, and 70 percent of crimes were smuggling, and the 30 percent came from domestic sources), the coronavirus (Hajdu: We need to assist weaker countries and combat the racism and stigmatisation that is cropping up), seniors care facilities under foreign ownership (Lametti: The company has obligations that are under provincial regulation, and we are following up on that case).

Frequent heckler Kelly McCauley is getting called out by the Bloc and Elizabeth May. #QP

— Dale Smith (@journo_dale) January 30, 2020

Overall, it was a louder day, possibly because there was less adult supervision in the Chamber, possibly because they are starting to get back to their former routines now that the newness is starting to wear off. What is not new is the ways in which issues were being torqued beyond all recognition (as with Michelle Rempel Garner’s “ministry of truth” jabs) or the cyber-security centre funding, nor was it new in how the government responded with bland platitudes to questions where they should have had responses, such as resources for the Auditor General. It was interesting how the Conservatives chose to target Bill Blair on a number of files today – many of them completely scattershot – but to his credit, he did have substantive answers to many of the volleys fired his way, so that’s something. There was a bit of drama right at the end as well, as the Bloc (and Elizabeth May, because of course it was Elizabeth May) objected to some of Conservative Kelly McCauley’s usual unclever heckling, purportedly in support of the energy sector, and no matter that he was called out on it, I doubt his behaviour will change in any measurable way.

Sartorially speaking, snaps go out to Anita Anand for a fuchsia lapel-less jacket with black v-necked top a slacks, and to René Arsenault for a dark grey suit with a pale pink shirt and a pattered now tie. Style citations go out to Ron Liepert for a taupe suit with a pale yellow shirt and no tie, and to Patricia Lattanzio for a black collared top with loud florals. Dishonourable mention goes out to Kevin Waugh for a black suit, a black and butterscotch striped shirt, with a yellow tie and pocket square, to Louise Charbonneau for a mustard yellow jacket with a black turtleneck, and to Cheryl Gallant for a mustard yellow dress with a black sweater.