QP: Reaching on a false premise

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The prime minister was in attendance today, though his deputy wasn’t. Alas. Erin O’Toole led off, script on his mini-lectern, and he noted the two American CEOs who crossed the border without quarantines, and that if the public safety minister didn’t have the power to approve them, it must have been the PMO — a blatant reach based on a false premise. Justin Trudeau reminded him that these were decisions made by CBSA officers at the border in error — then congratulated the victors of last night’s by-elections. O’Toole then asked about the public inquiry into the Nova Scotia mass shooting, and Trudeau gave a somewhat platitudinous response about moving ahead with the inquiry at the behest of the families. O’Toole wondered just who was in charge of the RCMP if there were differing opinions in Cabinet about calls for her to resign, and Trudeau read a script about acknowledging systemic racism in the Force. O’Toole switched to French to lament rapid tests and the early numbers that came from China, and Trudeau explained everything they did to help families, which was what mattered. O’Toole then worried that the prime minister was blaming provinces for inaction and demanded they get to work, to which Trudeau reminded him there are areas of provincial jurisdiction and that he working with provinces to ensure that all Canadians were taken care of. Yves-François Blanchet was up next and raised blackface and the Indian Act as racist, while trying to defend that University of Ottawa professor. Trudeau reminded him that they were working with the First Nations to get past the Indian Act, but it can’t be done by decree. Blanchet went on a meandering path about what was nation-to-nation relations, to which Trudeau reminded him that there is a diversity of opinion among First Nations, which is why they were talking at the nation’s pace. Jagmeet Singh was up next that for the NDP, and in French, he demanded universal pharmacare, to which Trudeau recited his practiced lines about how nobody should be forced to choose between food and medicine, and that they were working with the provinces. Singh then raised that the federal government as a landlord raised the rent on a daycare facility forcing it to close, to which Trudeau said they would be looking into what happened.

Round two, and Richard Martel worried about insufficient bilingualism in the civil service hindering assistance for Canadians (Duclos: We know the right to work in French is essential), Candice Bergen accused the government of meeting with Chinese officials with gang links (Oliphant: Relations with China are complex; Champagne: We will take no lessons from you on standing up to China), and Pierre Poilievre accused the government of “waging a war against work” that traps people in poverty (Fraser: We cut taxes on the middle class and you voted against it). Sébastien Lemire worried about supports for businesses (Joly: We want to work with the Bloc to get the new rent programme passed). Michelle Rempel worried that Canadians would be third in line for vaccines behind the US and UK (MacKinnon: We have seven signed contracts and will ensure that they are available once approved), and Pierre Paul-Hus worried that lockdowns are extended in Quebec, demanding rapid tests (Hajdu: 200,000 tests are being rolled out in Quebec this week). Charlie Angus worried about drinking water at Neskatanga (Miller: We have invested $16.5 million in a new plant and distribution system, and we won’t rest until the system is fixed), and Leah Gazan worried about long-term care homes (Hajdu: We are working with provinces).

Round three saw questions on the backlog at Veterans Affairs (MacAulay: We have invested in an additional $200 million in staffing), reasons for the delays being included in the Nova Scotia public inquiry (Blair: We immediately began the work to get answer, and we listened to families to give them a national public inquiry), French in the public service (Duclos: French is important in a bilingual country), re-opening Service Canada offices (Hussen: Hundreds have already been, and we are doing it in guidance with public health), help for seniors (Schulte: Here is a list of things we’ve done), carbon capture and storage (Wilkinson: It’s part of a suite of technologies we are focused on), environmental assessment processes (O’Regan: We support the Nova Gas project but needed to ensure that consultations were done properly in order to avoid another TMX), a west-coast natural gas project (O’Regan: I will entertain any proposal I get so long as we ensure to consult properly), privatising quarantine services (Hajdu: This is over-the-top rhetoric), and the lack of a diplomatic presence with the situation in Azerbaijan (Trudeau, with script: We are deeply concerned, and are supporting the ongoing negotiation process).

Overall, I find that I am mystified by the scattershot approach Erin O’Toole has been taking of late, where he’s throwing everything at the wall and hoping something sticks rather than taking a focused approach and trying to dissect a single issue, and it’s even more curious what he asks in French versus English, to see which audience he’s playing to. I also continue to find the Bloc’s fixation on excusing racist language to be extremely curious – to the point where they are trying to accuse the government of false equivalences – but this was explained to me last week that it goes to the heart of the debate (or perhaps meltdown) in Quebec over “reasonable accommodation” that has consumed the province for years, so that’s fun. On the government side, I will give half-marks to Marc Miller expressing a bit more candour than usual today on the response relating to Neskatanga First Nation, in that he actually did state that the money has been spent and that they are building the water treatment facility, but this could have been a bit sharper and more direct rather than continually wrapping itself in apologetic platitudes.

Sartorially speaking, snaps go out to Rachel Bendayan for a tailored black jacket with satin lapels and a black v-necked top and black skirt, and to Blake Richards for a medium blue suit with a crisp white shirt and a navy patterned tie. Style citations go out to Alex Ruff for a light grey jacket and a taupe shirt with dark grey slacks and a navy patterned tie, and to Heather McPherson for a long dress/jacket in a multitude of colours and patterns that largely defies description.

2 thoughts on “QP: Reaching on a false premise”

  1. “Overall, I find that I am mystified by the scattershot approach Erin O’Toole has been taking of late, where he’s throwing everything at the wall and hoping something sticks rather than taking a focused approach and trying to dissect a single issue, and it’s even more curious what he asks in French versus English, to see which audience he’s playing to.”

    O’Toole is no leader. Haphazardly throwing everything and the kitchen sink at the Liberals under the vague precept that Trudeau is bad and Trudeau is a failure, is all he’s got. He’s just a louder, more aggressive Andrew Scheer with a lot more Irish blarney. As you said in that column, “the only difference between him and Scheer is … better Photoshop.”

  2. How disingenuous for Singh to stand in his place and suggest that the government purposely increased rent. If Singh had been given a heads up that there was a grievance perhaps he should have just gone over to the housing Minister, had a short chat and taken the Minister’s assurances that the affair would be looked into. This is another example of “Gotcha Politics” that serves no one except the nefarious, spurious desire of one up man ship. Shame!

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