QP: Same scripts on demanding free votes for individual MPs

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While the prime minister was in town but not in QP, but most of the other leaders were absent as well, even when they just gave media availabilities in the Foyer. The PM’s deputy was present for a change, which has become something of a rarity. Pierre Poilievre led off in French, and he took shots at the Bloc for supporting the government’s carbon price plans, and that they planned to vote against their Supply Day motion on removing the carbon price on all home heating, and wondered what concessions the prime minister made to them. Chrystia Freeland said that the government was proud to follow in Quebec’s footsteps on child care and climate action, because Quebec was a leader on both. Poilievre stated that the question was for the prime minister, who was “hiding,” and repeated his insinuation that there was some kind of coalition deal with the Bloc, which is obvious nonsense. Pablo Rodriguez got up to worry that the Conservatives want to take Quebec backwards, whether it’s with women’s rights, gun control, or climate action, and declared the the Conservatives want to send Quebec back to the “Stone Age.” Poilievre switched to English to carry on with the empty chair gambit, said that Gudie Hutchings’ comments were “revolting,” and demanded a free vote on their carbon price motion. Jonathan Wilkinson somewhat wearily recited that the cost of heating oil is four times as much as natural gas and they have a plan for free heating pumps. Poilievre tried to pick off the two Alberta Liberals to demand a free vote, and Wilkinson again reiterated his same points. Poilievre insinuated that the prime minister was hiding and demanded more deee votes for more Liberal MPs. This time Chrystia Freeland got up to call out Poilievre for “hiding” on the Alberta pension issue, and that it took him 29 days to denounce the plan.

Alain Therrien led for the Bloc, and demanded that the government safe television after all of the TVA layoffs. Pascale St-Onge rose to say that her thoughts are with those whose jobs were affected but the landscape in media has changed, which is why they need the cooperation of all parties to safe Canadian media. Therrien decried that television was in danger and demanded federal action, to which St-Onge again decried the Conservatives trying to block their abilities to help the sector.

Jenny Kwan rose for the NDP, and decried how much rent has increased (which is provincial), and demanded more investments in social housing. Sean Fraser said that he agreed with the slams against Poilievre and patted himself on the back for their investments to date. Daniel Blaikie got up to denounce the government in general and demanded that they support the NDP bill on competition reform. François-Philippe Champagne said that they should support the government’s bill on competition reform.

Round two, and Poilievre got back to take several shots at the NDP and demand the prime minister remove the carbon price (O’Regan: Energy poverty and climate change represents a threat to working class people so we need to transition people away), Andrew Scheer demanded a free vote for another two Liberal MP (Wilkinson: Heating oil is more expensive than natural gas; van Koeveden: You guys don’t believe in climate change), Melissa Lantsman referenced more Liberal MPs to demand free votes (van Koeverden: Michael Chong used to believe in climate change; Gould: The heating oil policy applies across the country), and Eric Melillo named another MP (Hajdu: People in northern Ontario know that we need to take climate action).

Stéphane Bergeron linked the immigration targets to the “Century Initiative” because you can’t have enough conspiracy theories floating around (Miller: This comment is so far out of left field, and your province needs workers; Canadians have asked us to do more because we have labour shortages, but we need to be more strategic with our targets).

Scott Aitchison, and Eric Duncan both returned to the script picking off more Liberal MPs (Wilkinson: Eight out of ten Canadians are better off under our plan; Gould: The heating oil applies across the country, and your “common sense” talking points bring up the horrors of the Mike Harris years; Freeland: The Conservatives finance minister in Ontario knows that the attack on pensions were a problem, so why won’t your Ontario members speak up).

Lindsay Mathyssen worried about Canadian trapped in Gaza and demanded a ceasefire (Damoff: The situation is dire and there are delays at the crossing to Egypt, and we are calling for humanitarian pauses), and Brian Masse made his own demand for a ceasefire (Damoff: Much the same answer).

Round three saw yet more recitations of the same scripts on the vote (Rodriguez: You want to bring us back to the Stone Age; Lebouthillier: You voted for the unanimous adoption of the carbon market in Quebec when you sat in the National Assembly; van Koeverden: There is no federal carbon price in Quebec; Boissonnault: We have billions in programmes to help Alberta, but why are you so silent on the attack on pensions; The UCP spent the weekend voting on policies attacking LGBT kids and pandering to conspiracy theories; Vandal: You are spreading misinformation, it’s a natural program to transition people off of heating oil; Lamoureux: If you want to hear more from me, I’m happy to oblige). It also saw questions on the CEBA repayment terms (Valdez: We have already granted an extension and gave more flexibility; Freeland: We created a programme that provided $49 billion in support for SMEs; women veterans who feel invisible in Remembrance Day ceremonies (Sarai: Women will always participate in these ceremonies), and antisemitic actions at rallies (LeBlanc: We have condemned all expressions of hate, and I talk to the RCMP and provinces to ensure that they are following up on incidents of hate).

Overall, it was so gods damned repetitive today, even more than usual, as Conservatives one by one read the the same script, where the only difference what which Liberal MP they called out in order to demand a free vote on their upcoming non-binding Supply Day motion, and it was the same thing over and over and over again. This is what happens when all you’re doing is gathering clips for social media, and it sucks. I hate what this has done to our politics, but nobody seems to want to change because the incentives aren’t there to behave like adults and do the work of adults in the kind of serious accountability that Parliament should demand. This is not it.

As if that weren’t bad enough, the Liberals stared on a particularly weird tangent during French responses where three separate ministers talked about Conservatives wanting to send the country back to the “Stone Age,” to which the Conservatives would respond in kind, and it was mind-numbing and made absolutely no sense. I know that people want them to fight back more, but I’m not sure that these kinds of childish taunts are really going to do the trick. 

Sartorially speaking, snaps go out to Brendan Hanley for a tailored navy three-piece suit over a light grey shirt and a dark grey patterned tie, and to Patty Hajdu for a black suit over a white v-necked button-up top. Style citations go out to Heather McPherson for bewildering long-sleeved dress made up of competing blocks of clashing patterns, and to Martin Shields for a black suit with a grey plaid shirt and a black tie with a red maple leaf pattern.