The first QP of the new session is now officially a hybrid one, with a smaller number of MPs in the Chamber while the rest were on Zoom — a parliamentary abomination. Candice Bergen led off, and she demanded rapid testing options, to which Justin Trudeau took up a script to list what the federal government has done to support testing and procurement. Bergen accused a Trudeau of lacking any plans in his Throne Speech and called the last five weeks a waste of time. Trudeau asserted that the pandemic was the greatest challenge in a generation and it exposed problems in our society that they need to address. Bergen listed there people she claimed the Speech “left behind,” and Trudeau listed the measures that are helping Canadians. Gérard Deltell repeated the Québec premier’s claim that the Speech interfered in provincial jurisdiction, to which Trudeau reminded him that the premier didn’t mind when the federal government deployed the army to help Québec’s long-term care facilities. Deltell tried again, and Trudeau reminded him that they need to work together during the crisis to restart the economy. Alain Therrien was up for the NDP to carry on the accusation of interference and to demand more health transfers, to which Trudeau reminded him that they already increased transfers and more billions went out for the Safe Restart Agreement. Therrien tried again, and got the same answer. Jagmeet Singh was up next for the NDP, and in French demanded a plan for the second wave, to which Trudeau stated that they were working with the provinces to accelerate the testing process, and that they were helping seniors, families, students, and small businesses. Singh repeated his question in English, and Trudeau repeated his answer in English.
Round two, and Michelle Rempel demanded more rapid tests be made available (Hajdu, by video: We are letting scientists do their work), Shannon Stubbs raised the situation of the American private jet that avoided quarantine (Blair: The border officer made a mistake and they should not have been admitted; We have a process for compassionate cases), and Pierre Paul-Hus alleged something vague about a conflict of interest on the vaccine committee (Anand: What are you referring to?; Bains: We value the expertise of scientists, and we have a robust conflict of interest process including signed declarations online). Luc Thériault demanded increased health transfers (Rodriguez: There were increased transfers at the beginning of the pandemic and other transfers since), and Gabriel Ste-Marie made his own demand for transfers (Rodriguez: We are talking about seniors and their right to life). James Cumming worried about job losses from banning single-use plastics (Wilkinson: Most of this involves additional recycling and d’implication of design), Dan Albas on the lack of progress on the 2 billion tree pledge (Wilkinson: We are bringing forward a plan shortly). Jenny Kwan said the homelessness funding is not good enough (Hussen, by video: You are ignoring the rapid housing initiative we just announced), and Don Davies railed that pharmacare has not happened yet (Hajdu: We have taken steps and are sitting down with provinces and territories).
Round three saw questions on the fishery dispute with Indigenous communities on the East Coast (Jordan: We are working to ensure that First Nations can exercise their treaty rights), the Throne Speech (Freeland: We are facing a second wave of the pandemic, and our economic and health priorities are to fight it), additional help for seniors (Schulte: Look at everything we’ve done forever seniors over the past six months), an action plan for agricultural (Bibeau: We have put forward additional money to help the sector), rural broadband (Monsef, via video: We have worked to connect a million households to broadband, and we are counting on your support so that we can get the job done), smuggled guns and organised crime (Blair: We have worked with communities to take effective measures and have more legislation coming), negotiators with the UK on trade (Ng: I am in close contact with my UK counterpart and are working on a transition agreement), drug overdoses (Hajdu: We are ensuring treatment and safer supply), climate targets (Wilkinson: The wildfires are a sign of what is to come if we donate reduce emissions, and our enhanced climate plan is on the way), Pacific salmon stocks (Jordan: My department is completing one last risk assessment).
Former minister Peter Kent complains about organized crime. Recall that when he was in government, funding cuts to RCMP meant they had to divert operations away from organised crime to cover terrorism instead. #QP
— Dale Smith (@journo_dale) September 24, 2020
Overall, the whole affair was missing much of its spark, whether that was because the numbers are reduced, or that the hybrid nature of what is taking place lacks the same kind of frisson that still exists despite the fact that QP has devolved into an exercise in reading talking points to one another. Either way, it just feels a bit sad these days. It doesn’t means that we saw less grandstanding or faux outrage over things, because that certainly still exists, but without the usual audience for it, it all felt even more hollow than it usually does. And I suspect this is going to keep happening for at least the next couple of years. Otherwise, there wasn’t a lot of focus to the questions, and the Conservatives and Bloc continue to try and fight to be the designated voice of François Legault in Ottawa, which is a little embarrassing for them. I was expecting more howling denunciations of the WE Imbroglio and how the government hasn’t owned up to it and so on, but there were only a couple of questions, and maybe, just maybe, we’re starting to move on from it now that blood has been spilled.
Sartorially speaking, snaps go out to Michelle Rempel Garner for a black leather dress with an asymmetrical zipper up the length that culminated in a folded collar, and to David Lametti for an eggplant suit with a pale pink shirt and brown patterned bow tie. Style citations go out to Gabriel Ste-Marie for a dark grey suit jacket with brown slacks and a bile green shirt and bow tie, and to Mary Ng for a boxy red dress that was more of an oversized short-sleeved collared shirt than a dress.
“I was expecting more howling denunciations of the WE Imbroglio and how the government hasn’t owned up to it and so on, but there were only a couple of questions, and maybe, just maybe, we’re starting to move on from it now that blood has been spilled.”
I’m not so sure. Cautiously optimistic, but worried. I’ll believe that when I see it. The committees start up again the first week of October, and I have no faith in the shameless, policy-devoid opposition to let their own manufactured Hillary’s Emails crisis go to waste. The Cons are salivating for a Sponsorgate 2.0 and to exploit the NDP’s craven desperation for relevance and shared goal of “owning the Libs” to repeat history. I believe, and have heard through the grapevine, that part of this (and SNC) was Angus showing off his “muscle” to prove himself once Jagmeet faces a leadership review, and Angus and the old guard take back the party they feel was stolen by the “woke youth.” Angus retweeting Post Millennial, and Parkin cheering praise from Ibbitson’s transparent vote-splitting screed, is a really bad look for the supposedly “progressive” “conscience of parliament.” It reeks of Sanders surrogates going on Fox to attack “establishment Dems.”
Which is why I don’t have any faith in the clickbait-addicted right-wing media not to jump aboard another Hillary’s Emails fracas aimed directly at Trudeau. Anyone reasonable would say that there’s no point in beating this dead horse into glue: the program was cancelled; Morneau is gone; the opposition got their pound of flesh and damaged Trudeau’s polling numbers out of certain majority range. But this is “BS theatre,” as John Turner said, and politics is not reasonable when the Trudeau-derangement-syndrome opposition vultures have a carcass to feed upon. Their ultimate goal is to drive Trudeau out without having to actually provide a credible policy alternative. Just run him out on a rail with the Wynne/Clinton treatment of vague scandal-mongering, so they can get their austerity fix, shove Harper’s anointed stolen-valor fetishist into the PMO and avenge John A. MacDonald’s statues by toppling a real live Trudeau.
My hope, at least this time around, is that the *public* won’t stand for this meatheaded grandstanding as a second wave picks up and could be worse than wave #1. But then, I hoped that they wouldn’t stand for it last time, and instead they followed along with the one-sided media narrative of Trudeau bad. WeGhazi never should have been a thing. No one died and no money was exchanged. Just that Jesse Brown and Conrad Black got to satisfy their two-decade-long vendetta against the K-bros, while Jesse’s lackey Jaren Kerr got a juicy job at the Fife & Fail. The “media critics” at CanadaLand ended up becoming the monster they ostensibly fought against. It goes to show that the corporate driven, billionaire-owned media is defective by design in Canada and the “loyal opposition” are a threat to the public health. I feel hollow too, because I’m disgusted with politics and the behavior of the dishonorable members of Parliament. Especially during a pandemic.
You probably have said how you think Parliament should be operating right now and I missed it, or forgot it, but, while I’m not exactly a fervent supporter of all the pandemic restrictions, I don’t see how else they can manage. Especially given that the two opposition leaders have tested positive. I hope it doesn’t last one minute longer than it needs to, and I really hope that doesn’t mean two years.