QP: The person not in charge didn’t make a request

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For proto-PMQ day, all of the leaders were present for the first time in a while, so that made for a nice change of pace. Candice Bergen led off, script on her mini-lectern, and she raised the testimony of the RCMP Commissioner at committee, saying she did not request the use of the Emergencies Act, even though she found it helpful. (Note that she would not have been the one to request it because the RCMP was not the police of jurisdiction). Justin Trudeau read a statement about the police needing the tools and that they now had the inquiry to review what happened. Bergen insisted that the use of the Act was an overreach and the prime minister was trying to cover it up. Trudeau dropped the script and extemporaneously stated that the Conservatives seem to be pretty nervous that the inquiry will uncover their complicity in keeping the occupation going. Bergen pivoted to the rising cost of living, or the line-ups at airports and Service Canada office, and tried to paint him as out of touch by pointing out that he doesn’t buy his own groceries or pump his own gas—never mind that as leader of the Official Opposition, she also gets a chef and a driver. Trudeau recited the list of benefits the government has been enriching for people. Luc Berthold took over in French, declared the prime minister to be a “master of disinformation” and decried the invocation of the Emergencies Act. Trudeau read the powers that were needed, and that there was an inquiry underway. Berthold then accused the prime minster of doing nothing about the cost of living and demanded a break on gas taxes, to which Trudeau read that if Conservatives really cared about affordability, they wouldn’t delay the budget implementation bill.

Yves-François Blanchet led for the Bloc, and he raised their Supply Day motion yesterday to replace the daily prayer in favour of a moment of daily reflection, insisting that this was related to the “British Monarchy,” and demanded to know how the prime minister would vote on it. Trudeau listed the things that people were more concerned about than this issue. Blanchet tried to pin Trudeau down on it, and he called this out as a desperate attempt to find wedges to exploit.

Jagmeet Singh rose for the NDP, and he raised the price of gasoline before demanding new taxes on oil companies to pay for social programmes. Trudeau reminded him that they already raised taxes on the wealthiest one percent and indexed benefits to inflation, and that the NDP had voted against that at the time. Singh repeated the question in French, and got the same answer.

Round two, and Greg McLean read a quote from the (dubious) Alberta Court of Appeal decision on the environmental assessment regime (Trudeau: Look at the things this legislation improved), Shannon Stubbs gave more quotes from the decision (Trudeau: Under your failed approach, nothing was getting done because everything wound up in litigation), John Nater demanded the government release their directive to the CRTC before the second reading vote on the broadcasting bill (Trudeau: We have long had to protect content creators and Conservatives stand against the arts; the CRTC has always ensured that Canadian content is being promoted), Rachael Thomas insisted that the bill was about punishing digital-first creators (Trudeau: You keep mischaracterising this bill).

Blanchet was back up again poke the prime minister about the vote on the daily prayer (Trudeau: You are trying to pick a fight over an innocuous issue, while we are helping Quebeckers), and he insisted this was about secularism, and then tied it to Quebec’s so-called “secularism” law (Trudeau: I see what fight you are trying to import here, and we will defend fundamental rights).

Jasraj Hallan raised the story of the CRA taxing Afghan refugees on earnings in that country (Trudeau: We will be there to support vulnerable Afghans), Michael Chong raised the plight of Afghans who are not having their applications processed (Trudeau: We are sparing no effort), and Pierre Paul-Hus repeated it in French (Trudeau: Same answer).

Singh was back up to decry that the health system is struggling and that the prime minister isn’t meeting with premiers (Trudeau: We worked with provinces throughout the pandemic, committing $69 billion in new spending and measures, plus the new $2 billion top-up to tackle backlogs), and he raised the proposed Rogers and Shaw merger, and demanded the prime minister oppose it as well (Trudeau: We made a commitment to reduce bills and we did exactly that).

Round three saw questions on gas prices (Trudeau: You keep voting against our measures to help people), and trying to tie these prices to the environmental assessment regime (Trudeau: Stephen Harper couldn’t get anything built because his system was a mess), a business downloading costs (Trudeau: We have cut small business taxes and reduced their costs), house prices (Trudeau: Budget 2022 has measures like working to double new construction), the Roxham Road unofficial border crossing (Trudeau: We are working with our American counterparts including modernising the Safe Third Country Agreement), the “just transition” for energy workers (Trudeau: Our futures fund is laying out the best path forward to create sustainable jobs), the need to build charging stations for zero-emission vehicles (Trudeau: We have put forward a bold and ambitious plan), the safeguards around MAiD (Trudeau: We will stand up for the fundamental rights of Canadians; We have heard concerning stories, and we have to protect the vulnerable), over-incarceration of Indigenous women (Trudeau: We have moved forward on the calls to justice, and there is more to do in partnership with Indigenous people), and single-use plastics (Trudeau: We have moved forward with an oceans protection charter, and we will working with experts and corporations to eliminate these plastics).

Overall, it wasn’t nearly as raucous as it could have been for a Wednesday, and the Deputy Speaker didn’t need to start threatening anyone today, so that was a positive. The Conservatives decided to try and continue their very unclever tactic of constantly accusing the prime minister of disinformation, which is particularly galling because it’s coming from the party who feels absolutely no compunction when it comes to lying, dissembling, and promoting conspiracy theories, while the prime minister is generally guilty of not answering the question in favour of some feel-good pabulum or happy-clappy talking points. The liars calling the other guy the liar is just way too much for me to handle. The unmitigated gall!

Otherwise, it was another PMQ-day where the leaders of the Bloc and the NDP decided to take all of their party’s spots for themselves, which, again, defeats the purpose of the exercise, which is supposed to be an opportunity for any MP to ask a question to the PM. (I mean, they’re unlikely to get a substantive response, but hey, ate least backbenchers get to engage, right?) Trudeau did not rise to taking the bait that Blanchet was laying out for him (and the Bloc resoundingly lost that vote after QP), while Trudeau did manage to clap back against some of the Singh’s faux outrage, with the somewhat cheeky remark that the NDP voted against their measures at the time. 

Sartorial speaking, snaps go out to Eric Melillo for a medium grey suit with a pale blue shirt and pink tie, and to Karen Vecchio for a short-sleeved white dress with black patterning. Style citations go out to Candice Bergen for a black wizard-sleeved dress with blue, white and red florals, and go Brad Redekopp for a light blue suit with a dark blue pebble patterned and a beige tie. Dishonourable mention goes out to Soraya Martinez Ferrada for a dull yellow jacket over a black top and slacks.