Achi news desk-
OTTAWA –
The testy exchanges between the prime minister and his main rival ended with the leader of the Opposition and one of his MPs being thrown out of the House of Commons on Tuesday – and the rest of the Conservative caucus walking out of the chamber in protest.
Following unusually tense events, Speaker Greg Fergus warned Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre to rephrase their comments to avoid making direct accusations about another MP’s character.
The warnings came after Poilievre referred to Trudeau as “the guy who spent the first half of his adult life as an active racist,” referring to photos that emerged of Trudeau dressed in black and brownface during 2019 election.
Fergus warned Trudeau after he said Poilievre was “showing us exactly what shameful, spineless leadership looks like,” and accused him of shaking hands with “white nationalists.”
The tense back-and-forth came as Poilievre and the Conservatives attacked the Liberals for allowing British Columbia to allow the decriminalization of hard drugs like heroin and fentanyl in public places, which the province’s NDP government is now asking to Health. Canada to reverse.
The Conservatives argue that the policy has caused great harm.
Trudeau completely ignored that issue, responding to every question about drugs by accusing Poilievre of associating with far-right extremists.
He said that a person who does that is not fit to be a prime minister.
The comments came after videos circulated online of Poilievre last week stopping at what protesters described as an anti-carbon price protest in Atlantic Canada.
The scene included too many banners bearing Trudeau’s name.
At one point, videos show Poilievre leaving a trailer belonging to one of the protesters. The exterior contained many images, including a symbol belonging to the far-right online group Diagalon.
The trouble in the House began to intensify when Speaker Greg Fergus reached out to Conservative MP Rachael Thomas after she said he was “acting in a disgraceful manner.”
The tense exchange continued after her departure, with Trudeau saying Poilievre was a “19-year” politician who chose to connect with that camp.
“Any leader who needs the support of a far-right white nationalist group to raise money and get closer to power does not deserve elected office,” the prime minister charged.
Poilievre said the prime minister’s words were just his “latest distraction” from his own “extreme policies”.
“When will we put an end to this wacko policy by this wacko prime minister?”
Then Fergus drew the line.
“No, no,” he said. “That is not acceptable.”
He asked Poilievre to withdraw his comments, saying they were unparliamentary.
Poilievre did not retract, but said he would replace the word with “extreme,” which Fergus also rejected.
He then said he would replace it with “radical”, which Fergus did not accept either.
He asked the Conservative leader to “simply remove” the comment.
When Fergus asked Poilievre for the last time to withdraw his comment, the Conservative leader said, “I simply withdraw and replace it with the above adjective.”
Fergus then ordered him to leave the chamber and not take part in further debate on Tuesday, either in person or virtually.
Many left the Conservative caucus at the same time, all of whom eventually left before question period ended.
Government House leader Steven MacKinnon emerged from the House a few seconds later, calling what had just unfolded “a disgrace.”
“It is disrespectful to our institutions, disrespectful to the Speaker,” he said.
Conservative MP Michelle Rempel Garner said the events in the House showed evidence of a double standard and said Poilievre was telling the truth.
“If you look at the definition of wacko, that’s literally what the Liberal government is doing in terms of holding on to policies to decriminalize hard drugs like heroin and crack,” he said.
Bloc Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet was clearly pleased with the events, thanking Fergus in French for showing “common sense” in the chamber.
Bloc MP Louis Plamondon, the longest-serving MP in the House after being elected in 1984, said Poilievre’s comment was “insulting.”
He said he hasn’t seen a party leader thrown out in 40 years on the Hill and he doesn’t remember a party holding a big walk either.
Conservative MP Arnold Viersen said watching Poilievre get thrown out was upsetting.
“The Speaker is supposed to be a judge, not a participant.”
“It shows his lack of respect for the institution,” Joly said of Poilievre.
After leaving, Poilievre posted on X that Fergus was “censored” for calling Trudeau’s drug policies “wacko.”
And in a written statement, the Conservatives doubled down on the use of the word, saying that it had been spoken in the House of Commons many times in the past without being considered unparliamentary.
The party said Fergus kicked Poilievre out to protect the prime minister.
The Liberals continued their attacks on Poilievre outside the chamber.
Crown Minister-Indigenous Relations, Gary Anandasangaree, X said that “last week Pierre Poilievre showed us who his friends are when he met with known white supremacists. Today, he showed us the respect he has for our democracy.”
Liberal MP Charles Sousa said Poilievre loved to criticize and attack and was “cute” about his questions.
But he accused the Conservative leader of refusing to answer the question of why he chose to associate with a group that displays symbols of the far-right group Diagalon.
“Why is he associated with an extreme right organization like Diagalon?” Sousa said.
“I think that speaks volumes about who he is and his character. And I think that’s the real question today.”
Asked what she thought of what happened after she was kicked out of the chamber, Harder quipped: “Pretty wacko.”
According to a quick search of Hansard publications, “wacko” appears to have been used in the HoC three times in the last decade.
Twice in speeches in the current Senate by NDP House Leader Peter Julian, and once by former CPC MP Dean Del Mastro in the 41st.
https://t.co/fNNZqRHyhy pic.twitter.com/YtMqZ1lVWB— Rachel Aiello (@rachaiello) April 30, 2024
This report was first published by The Canadian Press on April 30, 2024.
