QP: The importance of independent regulators

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The first Monday of the new session, the Prime Minister was elsewhere, leaving his deputy in his place. Candice Bergen led off for the Conservatives, worrying about people who can’t get rapid at-home COVID tests. Chrystia Freeland said that they too want rapid tests, but it’s important that we have independent regulators, because lives depend on it. Bergen said this was an example of this being too little, too late, but Freeland insisted that the government would do whatever it takes to help Canadians. Bergen raised the spectre of the WE Imbroglio, and lost time in helping people, to which Freeland chided that they were hard at work the whole time, and listed measures. Gérard Deltell was up next to accuse the government of attacking Quebec in the face of the pandemic, and Freeland insisted that there was no dispute and that they we working together with the government of Quebec. Deltell got huffy in his response, insisting that Trudeau insulted the premier, and Freeland soared to new rhetorical heights about the importance of working together. Alain Therrien led off for the Bloc, accusing the government of “withholding Quebeckers’ money” and demanded new health transfers, to which Freeland assured him that they did increase transfers, on top of the $19 billion Safe Restart plan. Therrien was not amused, and demanded higher transfers, to which Freeland insisted that they were all working together. Jagmeet Singh was up for the NDP, and in French, he demanded a commitment to introducing a wealth tax, to which Freeland said that they did mention in the Throne Speech, they did mention new taxes. Singh repeated the question in English, and Freeland was more specific in talk of taxing web giants and stock options.

Round two, and Michelle Rempel Garner tried to ask a gotcha question about Bayliss Medical being given a contract for unapproved ventilators but no fast track for rapid tests (Bains: We put out a call for proposals), and then asked about other countries buying antigen rapid tests (Hajdu: Testing is a complex space and one test is not the same as the other, and Health Canada is assessing everything), Pierre Paul-Hus asked a misleading question about provinces “developing their own saliva tests” (Hajdu: This is an international problem, and the accuracy is important because we don’t want tests on the market that give false negatives), and Tim Uppal and Jasraj Singh Hallan asked about Sikhs in the RCMP being put on desk duty because of their beards interfering with masks (Blair: We have directed the RCMP to rectify this situation). Luc Thériault returned to demands for new health transfers for Quebec (Rodriguez: We are cooperating with provinces, and we need to pass the bill before us today; Hajdu: I have reached out to my provincial counterpart to ask how else we can help), and Louise Chabot railed that the Throne Speech intruded into federal jurisdiction and demanded more money (Rodriguez: There will be equivalent transfers). Shannon Stubbs and Raquel Dancho asked about compassionate access across the border (Mendicino: We have taken necessary measures, and we have to make sure that we get the decisions right, and have introduced an immediate family exception). Rachel Blaney asked a misleading question about veterans affairs spending and the mythical funding lapses (Samson: We have prioritized tackling the backlog), and Lindsay Mathyssen worried about student assistance (Chagger: We put out a $9 billion plan to help students). 

Round three saw questions on the lack of an agreement between the Mi’qmak and commercial fisheries on the East Coast (Jordan: The path forward is with honest, respectful dialogue, and I have met with both sides and we are committed to implementing treaty rights), job losses (Freeland: Look at all the support we are providing Canadians), the treatment Uighur Muslims in China (Champagne: We have been engaging internationally and are looking to do more), increases to old age pensions (Rodriguez: We have been helping seniors since the start), gun control (Blair: We have a plan and will strengthen gun control), labour issues vis-à-vis new aid programmes (Qualtrough: We are ensuring Canadians can work when it’s safe for them to do so), a recovery plan (Freeland: Our economic recovery plan is working, and here is a quote to support that), approving new oil projects (Lefebvre: Here is a quote from a Speech from the Throne), rural broadband (Monsef: We are working to connect rural communities, and to plan is on track), and grocery store workers vs. their store owners needing a wealth tax (Freeland: We need to unite rather than divide, but we have a plan to ensure everyone pays their fair share).

Overall, this “hybrid” model continues to be joyless and a bit stilted, and it does make the not-too-clever heckling from certain Conservative backbenchers to be much more clearly heard, so rest assured, I am paying attention. I remain concerned by the attempts to politicise the process around the approvals process for rapid testing, and the fact that there seems to be no awareness that many of the tests “approved” in the United States previously proved to be faulty because they were based solely on self-reported data. To the same effect, the histrionics that Canada’s jobless rate remains higher than other countries doesn’t seem to take into effect that other countries – like the United States – are not adequately protecting workers or giving them financial supports to that they can stay home from unsafe workplaces, and this bit of context is a very big deal in the current pandemic context. I would say that it’s nice to see Chrystia Freeland deftly answering for government in her deputy prime minister role, in both official languages, and that she’s not taking stick from some of her critics.

Sartorially speaking, snaps go out to Navdeep Bains for a dark grey suit with a white shirt, and a reddish-orange turban and tie, and to Julie Dzerowicz for a tailored navy suit with a dark blue v-necked top. Style citations go out to Andréanne Larouche for a hot pink and black floral dress, and to David Sweet for a navy blazer with a dark blue pattern shirt, grey patterned tie and grey slacks. 

2 thoughts on “QP: The importance of independent regulators”

  1. “Bergen raised the spectre of the WE Imbroglio, and lost time in helping people”

    Oh, that’s rich! Blame the government for “falling behind” on COVID measures due to contrived chaos that Murphy Brown’s own party started?

    Poilievre outright lied in his tweet in June when he said that if the government didn’t cancel the program, they could find themselves in a quagmire. So they cancelled the program, and the Cons with help from their useful idiot stooges in the NDP, Bloc and hopeless media created one anyway. Desperate for attention and to focus on anything but the Liberal government’s response to the pandemic.

    I am sick and tired of this gaslighting and deflection of blame. Infuriated more so that it goes unchallenged by the feckless press who, at best, are falling down on the job and at worst, are deliberately, due to partisan bias, complicit in aiding and abetting Conservative malfeasance. Democracy dies in access journalism.

    People are *dying* dammit. Anybody still dredging up this stale idiocy is guilty of turning their backs on the suffering of innocent human life. Nice look for the “pro-life” party.

  2. JB. You still seem to carry the hope that the Canadian conservative party has real concern for Canadians. They live on fear, division and a self defeating adherence to the idea that big business has Canadian interests at heart. Phooey! They don’t. Period. Keep ranting though, it gives the rest of us a chance to watch someone else do the heavy lifting for awhile.

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