QP: Trying to make “quadruple” happen

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While the prime minister was in town and due to make an announcement shortly after QP, neither he nor any other leader were present today. Melissa Lantsman led off, and laid out a network of supposedly shady dealings around the ArriveCan app development. Arif Virani said that they were aware of the allegations and there was an RCMP investigation underway, so they would not comment. Lantsman tried to equate this scandal with people using food banks, and Virani repeated his same response. Lantsman repeated the same assertion, and this time Sean Fraser stood up and pointed out that the Conservatives’ record doesn’t stand up to their rhetoric. Pierre Paul-Hus took over in French, and he gave Quebec-specific food bank figures to tie it to the ArriveCan app development. Virani got up to give the French version of his statement. Paul-Hus cited a survey about Quebeckers being worried about their mortgage renewals, which they blamed on government spending. Rodriguez stood up to say that Quebeckers are afraid of Conservatives because all they care about is cuts.

Alain Therrien led off for the Bloc, and wanted the government to cut immigration numbers because of housing supply issues. Fraser said that it is possible to welcome arrivals and build new housing at the same time, and that they signed a housing agreement with Quebec. Therrien repeated the same demand, and this time Marc Miller said that as a Quebecker, he recognises the need for higher immigration.

Heather McPherson rose for the NDP, and she demanded immediate action for homelessness in Edmonton. Fraser for back up to say that they have been working to build more homes and doubled support for homelessness. Bonita Zarrillo said that those solutions would not help this winter, and demanded immediate action (because they have a magic wand?) Fraser repeated his same points about the support they have been provided.

Round two, and Jasraj Hallan lied about what the Bank of Canada Governor said (Turnbull: We are laser-focused on affordability while you guys attack institutions), Shuvaloy Majumdar blamed government spending and the carbon price for food bank use (Sudds: We have made funding available to food banks and charities; Boissonnault: Why are you silent and absent about the attack on the CPP?), and Frank Caputo read some statements from the Vancouver food bank (Turnbull: We lifted 2.7 million Canadians out of poverty).

Nathalie Sinclair-Desgagné demanded the government extend the CEBA repayment period (Valdez: We announced an extension and more flexibility), and Sébastien Lemaire made the same demand (Martinez Ferrada: Our measures are flexible and responsible).

Arpan Khanna clumsily read a script about the carbon price (Gould: We have been there to support Canadians), Lianne Rood said wrong things about the carbon price (Guilbeault: Our policy has delivered real emissions reductions), Richard Martel gave the same in French (Guilbeault: Quebec has their own system).

Gord Johns wanted action for people still being affected by the Phoenix pay system (Anand: Work is still in progress and we will always support civil servants), and Alexandre Boulerice appeared by video to lambaste the government for not taxing grocery chain CEOs (Anand: We are dealing with the issues of affordability and have been working to stabilise prices).

Round three saw questions on SNC-Lavalin (O’Connell: You are trying to use this distraction at committee to block an investigation of five Conservatives for taking lavish trips at the expense of lobbyists; You had 26 opportunities to bring forward a motion and didn’t), disruptions for civil servants having their benefits provider changed (Anand: There is no question that the call centre wait times re unacceptable and I have talked to their leadership), a tent city in Halifax (Fraser: You did nothing about housing when you were in power, and you voted against supports for homelessness), carbon prices (O’Regan: We have protected benefits for seniors while your leader has attacked the CPP through his career; Boissonnault: You have a responsibility to respond to the 94 percent of Albertans who want the CPP protected; Fraser: Only this side of the house is working to improve the lives of people in your riding; Guilbeault: Hooray rebates), and a UK MP who was detained three times by Air Canada because his name is Mohammad (Rodriguez: I have approached Air Canada, who apologised), and the calls for boycotts of Jewish-owned businesses (Virani: These acts are repulsive and we should stand against them).

Overall, it was not a great effort on anyone’s part today, and while there were surprisingly no questions on Israel or Hamas, there was, however, the attempted debut of yet another slogan. If “triple, triple, triple” was bad enough, Conservatives are now trying to go with “quadruple, quadruple, quadruple, quadruple.” It’s enough to make me want so drive a spike in my ear. I wish that MPs would just put their foot down and say that they’re not going to humiliate themselves with this kind of nonsense, but no, they don’t. The only other really noteworthy exchange was the stuff around trying to claim the prime minister was “covering-up” the SNC-Lavalin business at committee, to which the Liberal response was that they had the opportunity to move the motion to call the RCMP back to testify, but they were instead putting on a show in order to keep the committee from studying the “lavish trip to London” that five Conservative MPs engaged in, though the characterization of the sponsors as “lobbyists who want to make it free to pollute” is perhaps sanitizing the fact that the Danube Institute is more about Viktor Orbán trying to spread his message of illiberal populism in other countries, which is far more alarming (but may not play as well in QP). Nevertheless, it was the only interesting thing that came up in an otherwise dull and repetitive QP.

Sartorially speaking, snaps go out to Taylor Bachrach for a tailored navy suit with an light blue shirt and a dark brown tie, and to Jennifer O’Connell for a slim black and grey jacket over a collared purple button-up shirt. Style citations go out to Anita Vandenbeld for a black top with bright pink florals under a black sweater, and to Alain Therrien for a light grey jacket with a bold windowpane pattern over a white shirt and dark blue jeans with a navy tie.