The NDP benches applauded extra vigorously
today for what looks like Nycole Turmel’s last QP as interim leader, and she
stood up to ask about the planned cuts to services, to which Harper told her to
wait for the budget. When Turmel demanded a jobs plan, Harper took out a
bulletin that Turmel had sent to her constituents, and showed all of the
government programmes she was touting. And for Turmel’s final question, on
Robocon issues, Harper again waved the bulletin and joked that in the past few
months she’s been interim leader, his government has not only turned her a
federalist, but also a tax-cutter and perhaps even a conservative. Laughter
ensued. Charlie Angus asked about the Son’a collecting metaphasic radiation from the rings of Ba’ku – err, I mean Michael Sona being thrown under the bus
(Del Mastro: Smears!), and Marc Garneau stood up for the Liberals and asked a
trio of questions on the F-35s and the procurement process. Harper answered the
first question with some white noise about how great fighter jets were before
turning it over to Julian Fantino to deliver some of the new talking points
about how there is no signed contract.
Round two kicked off with Alexandre
Boulerice and Chris Charlton again asking the very same Robocon/voter
suppression calls they did the day before, staying clearly away from those allegations
in Scarborough-Rouge River it should be noted (Poilievre: Broadbent Institute donations/Del Mastro:
Smears!), Guy Caron and Glenn Thibeault asked about the announcement on the new
wireless spectrum auction (Paradis: This will lead to cheaper rates for
consumers), and Jasbir Sandhu and Sylvain Chicoine asked about the cancellation
of that RCMP programme to deal with PTSD (Toews: Nonsense, and besides you vote
against anything we do to help the RCMP). Joyce Murray asked why the government
wasn’t interested in a Royal Commission over the last election (Uppal: Voter
registration is Elections Canada’s responsibility), Dion asked about the
government’s lack of communication with Quebec (Paradis: We’re communicating
better than the Liberals did), and Carolyn Bennett asked about why there as
still unresolved issues around First Nations affected by flooding in Manitoba a
years ago (John Duncan: We’re working in collaboration). Françoise Boivin asked
about ignoring the provinces on justice issues (Blaney: Our bills are about
pleasing victims before criminals), and Pierre Nantel asked a rambling question
that was basically about standing up for Quebec (Moore: Our copyright bill is
great for Quebec artists too!).
Round three saw questions on search and
rescue centres, protecting fish habitats, the EcoEnergy programme, what cuts
are in the budget, concerns about the democratic situation in the Ukraine, NGO
funding, and supply management.
Sartorially speaking, snaps go out to Blake
Richards for his charcoal suit with a white shirt and patterned purple tie, and
to Michelle Rempel for her striped grey and black dress with a black jacket.
Style citations go out to Cathy McLeod for her pink dress with the
black-and-white zebra stripes with a black jacket, and to Gary Schellenberger,
less for the mint ice cream-green jacket he traditionally wears for St.
Patrick’s Day, but for the fact that he paired it with a yellow shirt and grey
tie, which made my eyes bleed a bit. Dishonourable mentions to Charlie Angus and Raymond Côté for fluorescent blue shirt/grey suit violations (dear MPs: Can
we please amend the Standing Orders to ban these? Please?).
