While Justin Trudeau was in the Magdalen Islands to survey Hurricane Fiona damage there, his deputy was once again in the House of Commons for yet another round of the same talking points, back and forth. Pierre Poilievre led off in French, and worried that the federal government was somehow hindering Quebec’s ability to build new hydroelectric dams to produce green electricity to power electric cars. Chrystia Freeland dismissed this as the Conservatives not having a plan for the environment. Poilievre shot back that the government doesn’t have an environment plan, but only a tax plan and that they have not met any reduction target (as though his government didn’t sabotage those efforts at every turn), and then complained about the carbon price in places like BC. Freeland reiterated that the Conservatives don’t have an environmental plan, but only a plan to plunder pensions and hurt Canadians. Poilievre tried his “JustInflation” line again and accused the government of raising taxes on paycheques, which are not taxes. Freeland said the Conservatives are only good for strutting but only want to drain pensions and keep kids from going to the dentist. Poilievre cited a poll that says that 51 percent of people are struggling to eat, and accused the government of being out of tough. Freeland said that the Conservatives were out of touch for a plan to raid pensions and slash EI, or to not have a plan for the climate as our customers—the US and the EU—will only buy our products if we have a climate plan. Poilievre tried again, trying to feign a tone of unctuous concern for people who can’t eat or find a home, but Freeland listed the actions they have taken which have reduced poverty, and finished off with a Bitcoin dig.

Yves-François Blanchet led for the Bloc, and he worried about Roxham Road, saying the quiet part out loud in worrying about “cultural integration,” and wanted an Ethics Committee investigation on the CBSA contracts at the crossing. Freeland responded with a paean about the importance of immigration to our economy and in the strength of the refugee system. Blanchet chided her that Roxham Road is not about labour but humanitarian efforts—which is true—and demanded the contracts all be tabled publicly. Freeland said that as a border issue, they are working with the Americans, including on the Safe Third Country Agreement.

Jagmeet Singh rose for the NDP, and said that he would be meeting with Autumn Pelletier about her petition about clean water for Indigenous communities. Freeland very slowly noted that as wonderful as Canada is, it has an original sin of our treatment of Indigenous people, and the government was working to rectify that. Singh repeated the question in French, and Freeland reminded him that they have invested heavily and there is still more work to do.

Round two, and Gérard Deltell cited that four out of five Canadians have had to cut their food budget and blamed the carbon price, which is not the reason for food price inflation (Freeland: We are making affordability measures; If we don’t create a green economy, it will be impossible for us to trade), Mark Strahl decried the so-called tax increase (Wilkinson: The rebate on carbon prices is more than most people pay in; If you have a problem with the fact that BC does not rebate to families, you should take it up with your premier), and Rosemarie Falk disingenuously claimed that the carbon price has not reduced emissions, even though it actually has (Wilkinson: What you are saying is simply not true; Qualtrough: If you cared about affordability, you would have supported our measures for disability supports, dental care and rental assistance).

The Conservatives know that the carbon price doesn’t go into general revenue, but goes back to the province it was collected, right? #QP

— Dale Smith (@journo_dale) September 29, 2022

https://twitter.com/AaronWherry/status/1575552247311650816

Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe returned to the Roxham Road questioning, insisting it was simply expanding the people-smuggling business rather than suspending the Safe Third Country Agreement (Mendicino: There are no simple solutions and we are investing in border measures), and Brunelle-Duceppe wondered just what Mendicino was proud of (Mendicino: I’m proud of the contributions refugees make; Lalonde: We are negotiating with the Americans about the agreement).

Brad Redekopp read a government website that called EI and CPP taxes and demanded their increases be cancelled (Freeland: You just insinuated that people don’t get anything out of these programmes, which is not true), Bob Zimmer worried about inflation affecting northerners (Jones: We have been there for people in Northern Canada, and we provided extra resources for them in the pandemic), and Mike Lake accused Freeland of talking down to them and then cited a particularly rose-coloured view of the Harper record (Freeland, very slowly: Canadians know that we are pursuing a fiscally responsible policy, but that we need to be compassionate).

Lori Idlout accused the government of short-changing Indigenous community of funding for searching for Residential School graves (Miller: 91 projects are under way and we are granting funding when it is requested), and Blake Desjarlais accused the government of failing Indigenous housing (Hussen: We are committed to a for-Indigenous by-Indigenous strategy, which we have allocated $300 million as a first tranche).

Round three saw questions on so-called “tax increases” (Gould: If you were really concerned about poverty then you should support our affordability measures; Hussen: You guys are playing procedural games to delay our affordability measures), the carbon price (Holland: You guys are only playing games; Wilkinson: The carbon price is a market mechanism which our party used to believe in; The costs of not acting on climate change is even more than taking action now), EI reforms (Qualtrough: We are still working on the reforms), Poilievre gave a magnanimous-sounding question on Reconciliation (Hajdu: We have done a lot, but I look forward to working with the party opposite to do this work), mandatory minimum sentences (Lametti: Those policies are a proven failure), the removal of charitable status from so-called “pregnancy crisis centres” (Sudds: Universal access to abortion is guaranteed under the Canada Health Act, which was not the question), and corporate investments in housing (Hussen: We have already implemented the non-resident resenting real estate tax and are launching a review of housing as an asset class).

James Bezan resurrected the “hug-a-thug” talking point. #QP pic.twitter.com/SbqYB9tmbE

— Dale Smith (@journo_dale) September 29, 2022

Overall, it was another fairly repetitive day, with the same misleading talking points about EI—particularly the notion that the rates are only increasing in order to grab the surplus to the account (which wouldn’t happen because the account is currently in deficit after the pandemic recession)—CPP, and the carbon price, which again, being falsely portrayed as filling government coffers when the revenues entirely get recycled in the provinces, and in those provinces under the federal backstop, the majority of that goes to households. The government is somewhat selectively responding to these falsehoods, and while they do occasionally call out the falsehoods for what they are, it’s not consistent.

Otherwise, there were a few Reconciliation-themed questions today, which weren’t all done in good faith. Singh’s questions about water on First Nations reserves omitted the fact that the government has resolved more long-term boil water advisories than were in the inventory when they took power (nor did Freeland make that case when she responded), while Poilievre’s magnanimous-sounding question was quite nakedly a clip-gathering exercise for a future social media campaign. But unfortunately, that’s all Question Period is these days, which is oh, so tiresome.

Sartorially speaking, snaps go out to Christine Normandin for a pale cream-grey cowl-necked sweater dress, and to Greg Fergus for a navy suit and bow tie with a light blue shirt. Style citations go out to Gerald Soroka for a pale brown suit with a yellow shirt and a brown and gold tie, and to Heather McPherson for a cream-coloured blouse and an orange pleated skirt with an angular hemline.