The prime minister was in town but not present for QP today, while his deputy was, as were most of the other leaders. Pierre Poilievre led off in French, and raised the OFSI report on rising mortgage rates, and falsely said the prime minister said the rates would stay low, before blaming the Bloc for supporting the government, and then demanding the government “cut waste and lower interest rates,” never mind that the two have absolutely nothing to do with one another. Chrystia Freeland said that they know that Conservatives don’t really support people having trouble with their mortgages because they oppose their mortgage charter. Poilievre then raised a newspaper stories about Quebec taxpayers being “bled dry,” and demanded the government accept their plan to suspend gas taxes for the summer. Freeland responded saying that the Conservatives don’t have a plan outside of austerity. Poilievre switched to English to repeat the OFSI talking point, and the same false attribution about the prime minister saying rates would stay low, before citing another Scotiabank report on government spending, but conveniently ignored that it was largely talking about provincial and not federal spending. Freeland repeated that the Conservatives don’t care about people struggling with their mortgages. Poilievre listed increasing food bank use and homeless encampments, and again blamed government spending. Freeland listed how much they reduced poverty thanks to their measures and repeated that the Conservatives only want to cut. Poilievre repeated his same point again, to which Freeland pointed out that Poilievre only built six affordable housing units when he was “minister” on the file, and repeated that they only want to cut programmes.

Alain Therrien led for the Bloc, and railed that the working group on migration has done no work, to which Marc Miller said that work is ongoing ahead of their upcoming meeting. Therrien demanded that Miller stop “demonising” Quebec round resettlement capacity, and Miller shot back that the Bloc doesn’t understand the difference between capacity and desire.

Jagmeet Singh rose for the NDP, and decried the bombing on Rafah and demanded the government do something about Netanyahu. Mélanie Joly denounced the attack, and demanded an imminent ceasefire. Singh repeated the question in French, and Got the same response. 

Round two, and Jasraj Hallan got up to read some angry word salad and demanded an election (Freeland: Conservatives only want to cut; Wilkinson: You are misleading about the carbon levy), Jamie Schmale demanded the government cut gas taxes over the summer (Wilkinson: You won’t rely on facts and want to let the planet burn;  Holland: You are saying that you wouldn’t have helped people in the pandemic, and want to take away help from vulnerable people), and Pierre Paul-Hus repeated the demand in French (Duclos: The carbon levy doesn’t apply in Quebec, and 300 economists pointed out that more people get more back than they pay).

Kristina Michaud raised Canada’s per capital GHG emissions and railed about Trans Mountain (Guilbeault: We have improved our climate score card and reduced our emissions), the increase in Lyme disease because of climate change (Guilbeault: We have put in clean gas standards which the Conservatives voted against), and that Quebec’s per capita emissions are lower because they don’t produce oil and gas (Guilbeault: More than half of the oil consumed in Quebec is Canadian).

Tim Uppal misleadingly blamed the carbon levy for food insecurity (Fraser: Your leader just debated a bill that would cut those supports), and Tony Baldinelli read a script with more of the same (Holland: You didn’t care about poverty when you were in power, and do you think seniors in need shouldn’t get dental care?)

Alexandre Boulerice railed about food affordability but blamed it on grocery CEOs (Freeland: Our budget is making the wealthiest pay their fair share), and Laurel Collins worried about the government not keeping climate promises (Guilbeault: Our emissions have been going down, and we have one of the best records in the G7 for reducing emissions, but we still need to do more).

Round three saw yet questions on the carbon levy as though it caused homelessness and food insecurity (Fraser: Your leader wants to cut supports for people who need it; Look at all of the programmes your party voted against; Hutchings: If you want to help people, pass the Fall Economic Statement to increase the rural rebate top-up; You voted against all of the projects helping businesses in our riding; Duclos: Your leader only created six housing units while in power but we have created many more times than that in your own riding in recent months; You keep telling people dental care doesn’t exist when 9000 seniors in your own riding have signed up; Lebouthillier: You keep talking about affordability when you keep voting against help for people). There were also questions on the “decline” of French in Quebec (Anand: We will continue to protect both official languages; MacKinnon: You hate that Quebeckers are contributing to Canada), government spending supposedly causing mortgages to rise (Freeland: Let me quote the Governor of the Bank of Canada; Holland: You keep thinking trickle-down economics works; Fraser: You show up at ribbon-cuttings for projects you voted against in your riding), funding delays for a vital youth programme (Hepfner: I support these organisations getting the funds they need), and demanding more funds for combatting homelessness (Fraser: We are making investments by partnering with communities to build out the affordable housing stock).

The Conservatives keep quoting the Food Banks Canada report, but ignore that it actually lays most of the blame for food insecurity on the premiers. #QP

— Dale Smith (@journo_dale) May 27, 2024

Overall, it was a fairly mediocre day, where some of the old classic falsehoods got another go around, in particular the notion that it’s the carbon levy that is causing food insecurity or homelessness (it most certainly is not), and there was much selectively quoting from reports that didn’t actually blame the federal government for things, but Poilievre insinuated that those reports did. Because what’s another falsehood on the pile at this point?

Otherwise, Jagmeet Singh was the only one to raise the situation with Rafah today, and got the clip of the minister condemning the attack, but while the other NDP members yelled at her to do something more about it, I’m not sure what leverage Canada exactly has in this situation. The Bloc finally went a day without taking swipes at Francis Drouin, so that was a change. And hey, the Liberals didn’t bring up abortion today, but focused their ire and backbench suck-up questions on Poilievre’s so-called housing bill, so maybe nature is healing.

Sartorially speaking, snaps go out to Mélanie Joly for a black sweater over a black belted skirt, and to René Villemure for a navy suit with a crisp white shirt and a purple tie and pocket square. Style citations go out to Arif Virani for a tan jacket over a light grey shirt and black slacks with a black and grey striped tie and a black pocket square, and to Marie-Claude Bibeau for a dusky rose jacket over an off-white dress with florals across it.  Dishonourable mention goes out to Steven Guilbeault for a black jacket over a white shirt with a pale yellow tie and tan brown slacks, and Anna Roberts for a dark mustard jacket over a black top and slacks.