QP: Tough on Black and Indigenous people

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In between events with the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall, the prime minister was present in QP, as were all other leaders. Candice Bergen led off, script in front of her, and she declared that the stated reason for invoking the Emergencies Act was “falling apart” as the interim Ottawa police chief said he did not request it, and she insisted there was a cover-up. Justin Trudeau quoted another witness at the committee who praised the efficacy of the measures. Bergen blamed Trudeau for the blockade with a litany of dubious accusations, and Trudeau retorted that the opposition doesn’t want light shed into their role in prolonging the occupation. Bergen insisted this was “misinformation” before she pivoted the complaining about airport delays and demanded a return to “pre-COVID normal.” Trudeau reminded her that COVID is not over, and that they are identifying ways to help bottlenecks. Bergen started ranting that Trudeau got to go maskless in other countries while Canadians are tired of doing everything being asked of them (erm, which they haven’t been). Trudeau again reiterated that they are following the science. Bergen then launched into a tirade about COVID measures affecting youth, and Trudeau somehow hating youth, and Trudeau listed all of the help they gave young Canadians over the course of the pandemic.

Yves-François Blanchet led for the Bloc, and he gave a bizarre rant about the “British monarchy” and the Anglican Church, and demanded to know how much this would cost. Trudeau, bemused, said that Ottawa must really be delivering for Quebec if the Bloc had to dig to reach this. Blanchet continued to complained that royal tours cost money, and Trudeau took the opportunity to praise our system and its stability at a time when democracy is under threat around the world.

Jagmeet Singh rose for the NDP, noted the inflation headline number, and repeated yesterday’s demand to cut oil and gas subsidies and to give that money to people in a GST rebate. Trudeau listed that they have been cutting subsidies, that they are going “line by line” on emissions cuts, and that they have affordability measures. Singh repeated the question in French, and got the same reply.

Round two, and Shannon Stubbs insisted that gun crime was up and that the government was going to give “gangsters” house arrest—which is a gross mischaracterisation (Trudeau: The failed Conservative plan was not tough on crime, but only tough on Black and Indigenous Canadians; This does not stop police from laying charges or prosecutors from pruning convictions, but it stops over-criminalisation of Black and Indigenous people), Pierre Paul-Hus listed a shooting in Montreal as an attack on Bill C-5 (Trudeau: This is disinformation, and here is what the bill does), and Rob Moore repeated the same allegation in English (Trudeau: Targeting the supply of guns and the root cause of violence is what we are doing).

Blanchet was back up to keep complaining about the monarchy and wanted the prime minister to tell the Prince of Wales that Canada is bilingual (Trudeau: I am meeting with him this afternoon and we are discussing climate change), and then started grasping at other supposed insults to the French language (Trudeau: We are protecting French throughout Canada by modernising official languages legislation).

John Barlow asked about a tariff on a fertiliser (Trudeau: I will have the appropriate minister follow up) and demanded rebates on tariffs on Russian fertiliser purchased before the war (Trudeau: We will support affected farmers), Richard Lehoux and complained about the rising costs of fuel and fertiliser (Trudeau: We will continue to work with industry and we have boosted anticipated payment programme), and Rachael Thomas gave a false narrative around inflation (Trudeau: We have measures to support families that Conservatives voted against).

Singh was back up to raise the lines at passport offices (Trudeau: We created new centres and hired 500 new employees to help processing), and he riled about the potential merger between Rogers and Shaw (Trudeau: We are committed to affordability).

Round three saw questions on travel for anti-vaxxers (Trudeau: Magical thinking doesn’t keep people safe), line-ups at airports because of public health measures (Trudeau: Canadians continue to die at greater rates than the first two waves of pandemic because COVID is not over), a registry of criminal gangs (Trudeau: We have to deal with the root causes of this violence, which is why we have invested), mental health transfers (Trudeau: We need to do this in partnership with provinces and can’t just throw money at the problem), recognition of Taiwan at international forums (Trudeau: We support their inclusion), WHO meetings around the pandemic (Trudeau: We are members of the WHO, and vaccines save lives), Indigenous women “land defenders” being targeted by the RCMP (Trudeau: Script on “real action” to end gender-based violence including Indigenous women and girls), and an overwrought demand for a tax rebate (Trudeau: We have affordability measures that are indexed to inflation).

Overall, the day was reasonably tame for a Wednesday that the prime minister was attending, but some of it was also just bizarre, particularly Yves-François Blanchet’s attempt to try and score points on the back of the royal tour. It was good to see Trudeau hit back on the “tough on crime” questions and the disingenuous way in which Bill C-5 has been framed (which, incidentally, the Conservatives are filibustering at committee), and to actually call out that the old policies disproportionately affected Black and Indigenous people. It was also quite telling as to how the Conservatives responded to that, with the pearl-clutching that he apparently called them racists (which he did not explicitly do), and that they treat the accusation of racism as being the worse sin than the actual racism, particularly the structural racism in the justice system that this bill is trying to address. To be scandalised by Trudeau pointing this out is pretty much making his point for him.

I would also point to how very unusual it was that Leslyn Lewis was given two question spots today, because leadership candidates are almost always kept away from QP in order to avoid giving them the “free publicity” of these kinds of questions. This was made worse that she was building toward her conspiracy theory that the WHO is trying to usurp Canadian sovereignty, which is batshit crazy, but it’s yet one more example of the Conservatives being more than willing to mainstream conspiracy theories on the floor of the House of Commons and in Hansard, and then pretending that they are “just asking questions” or downplaying what is really behind done. It’s a choice, and it’s one that has very real consequences even if they pretend otherwise.

Sartorial speaking, snaps go out to Candice Bergen for a short-sleeved dress that was blue on the top and black under the bust, and to Justin Trudeau for a blue-grey suit with a white shirt and a pale red tie. Style citations go out to Yves-François Blanchet for a tan jacket over black slacks, a white shirt and a light blue striped tie, and to Jean Yip for a lavender top and black slacks with a black jacket with lavender florals. Dishonourable mention goes out to Laila Goodridge for a black jacket and v-necked top over dark yellow skinny jeans.