The prime minister was finally present for the second day of the mid-July sitting, after his inexplicable absence the day before. Andrew Scheer led off, mini-lectern on desk, where he insisted that Canadians had enough of his scandals, and demanded he appear before committee. Trudeau stated that he was considering the invitation, that he was happy to be here today and tomorrow, and that he should have recused himself when the suggestion was made by the public service. Scheer spun a tale of WE’s alleged schemes, and again demanded that Trudeau appear at committee. Trudeau responded by listing the aid they have given students. Scheer then ranted about his disgust with the Liberals and didn’t have a question, to which Trudeau chided him about the things that he should be asking about, like the aid package under debate. Scheer got increasingly breathy as he again spun out a conspiracy theory around WE, wondering on what basis the civil service could have recommended WE, to which Trudeau stated that the civil service looked at the government’s plans and decided WE was best placed to fulfil it. Scheer quoted a charity watchdog on WE’s ability to fulfil the programme, and the asked Chrystia Freeland what it would take for her to lose faith in the prime minister, but Trudeau rose once more to praise the efforts they have made to engage students and support them. Yves-François Blanchet was up next for the Bloc, and he meandered around the problems Trudeau is facing, to which Trudeau insisted that they were focused on helping Canadians through the pandemic. Blanchet quipped that Trudeau couldn’t buy his way out of a crisis, and a suggested that Trudeau temporarily step aside and let Freeland replace him, and Trudeau praised the Safe Restart agreement with the provinces. Up next was Jagmeet Singh for the NDP, and he wondered why Trudeau didn’t recuse himself when the WE contract came up, and Trudeau stated that he followed the recommendation of the civil service. Singh insisted that apologies mean nothing if the Liberals help their “wealthy friends,” and worried why they didn’t just use another program instead, to which Trudeau said it was a shame that the NDP was so cynical about measures for students.

Round two, and John Brassard tried to drive a wedge between Trudeau and his ministers (Chagger: We are focused on delivering for Canadians), Jacques Gourde asked if the minister still trusted the PM (Chagger: We are focused on delivering for Canadians in this crisis), and Michael Barrett tried to single out more ministers (Chagger: We are focused on making sure Canadians have the supports they need, like CERB). Rhéal Fortin supposed that WE Charity’s competence may be donating to Liberals (Chagger: I accepted the recommendation of the civil service and I shared those details at committee). Ziad Aboulatif accused the government of cutting WE a cheque but not helping the energy sector (Lametti: We have assisted the sector including remediating orphan wells), Kevin Waugh demanded to know if the PM’s mother was paid during the 2017 Parliament Hill WE event (Guilbeault: Cabinet had no role in that event), and Pierre Poilievre demanded to know how much the PM’s family was paid in personal expense by WE (Chagger: Those sound like questions for WE). Matthew Green moralized about lessons learned by the prime minister (Chagger: We are working with the Ethics Commissioner), and Lindsay Mathyssen asked about childcare spending (Hussen: We are continuing to spend, we are working on our bilateral agreements with the provinces, and gave additional money as part of the Safe Restart Agreement).

They think this is a clever tactic. It’s not. https://t.co/W6Jnr354AQ

— Dale Smith (@journo_dale) July 21, 2020

One of the Conservatives shouts that Chagger is lying.
The Speaker warns the House about “name-calling.” #QP

— Dale Smith (@journo_dale) July 21, 2020

Last I checked, what WE pays in disbursements has nothing to do with the administrative responsibilities of government. #QP

— Dale Smith (@journo_dale) July 21, 2020

Round three saw questions on the national stockpiles of PPE pre-pandemic (Mendicino, with script: Our record has been strong, and we have been working with provinces), the financial strains felt by Legions (Fortier, with script: We understand the vital role of Legions, and we are working on a solution to this), the Conservatives demanding the government adopt their CERB plan (Qualtrough: This is not a failed programme because it helped 8 million Canadians), demanding the PM step aside in favour of Freeland (Rodriguez: We are focused on helping Canadians), the wait times for temporary foreign workers (Mendicino: We are committed to working with the Quebec government, we had an approach that was principled and compassionate, and I am ready to work with my colleague), the prime minister’s “personal day” (Rodriguez: We recalled the House to help Canadians, and we are answering questions), prior sole-sourced contracts to WE (Chagger: I’ll get back to you on those contracts), how many drinking water advisories the $43 million go WE could have lifted (Bennett: We have been lifting advisories but still have more work to do), CBSA not locating 35,000 failed asylum claimants for removal (Mendicino: We are investing in our asylum system), the contract with a Chinese company for security equipment for embassies (Champagne: No purchases have been made and we are reviewing the contract), Climate change as part of the economic recovery (Lametti: This is an existential issue, and we will continue to fight climate change). 

By unanimous consent, the #HoC adopted a motion regarding a committee of experts to examine and address sexual and domestic violence. #cdnpoli

— In the Chamber (@HoCChamber) July 21, 2020

Overall, it was not a terribly enlightening day, as Scheer floundered angrily and breathily without landing a single punch, attempting to paint a conspiracy theory around WE’s real problems than it was anything to do with the prime minister’s poor judgment. The tactic of trying to pick off Cabinet ministers to question their loyalty was not clever, as it ignores that Cabinet solidarity is a Thing that needs to be respected if our system of government is to work at all, and simply was crass politicking. That said, several Liberals made callbacks about whether those asking the questions were Team MacKay or Team O’Toole, as that is the real division in the Conservative caucus at present, but really, none of this is clever or the real purpose of QP when it comes to the administrative responsibilities of government. Otherwise the day was repetitive, with little to show for it, as none of the questions were actually probing or even determined to get new answers — it was all performative moralizing, meant for social media shitposts and not the practice of accountability. 

Sartorially speaking, snaps go out to Michael Barrett for a tailored navy suit and matching tie with a crisp white shirt, and to Marie-Hélène Gaudreau for a black long jacket and skirt with a white grid pattern and a white top. Style citations go out to Jag Sahota for a taupe dress with giant purple florals, and to Gary Vidal for a medium grey suit with a dull green shirt and a black and grey paisley tie.