QP: Dropping the ball on operational security

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On most Tuesdays in the Commons, the leaders would actually be present, given that it’s usually one of the two days per week that Stephen Harper deigns to show up. Today, however, with Harper still in the Netherlands, none of the other main leaders bothered to show up either. Yay accountability! Megan Leslie led off, asking about the record trade deficit (which it needs to be stated is not necessarily a bad thing, just because it’s referred to as a deficit). Ed Fast insisted that exports were up, and yay trade agreements. Leslie asked again in English, capping it off with a demand for $15/day childcare. Candice Bergen insisted that theirs was the best plan for all families. Again, Leslie bemoaned the state of the manufacturing sector, to which James Moore praised all of their measures. Rosane Doré Lefebvre was up next, and decried the imminent passage of Bill C-51. Stephen Blaney wondered why the NDP refused to give tools to the police, or how they could deny that there were terrorist attacks in Canada. Dominic LeBlanc led for the Liberals, and wanted help for the middle class, touting the plan they introduced yesterday. Pierre Poilievre responded that the Liberals would raise taxes by replealing the doubling of the TFSA (which is not actually true). Ralph Goodale was up and more forcefully asked the same again in English twice, and Poilievre doubled down on his blatantly untrue talking points.

Round two, and Élaine Michaud and Jack Harris asked about the security breach inadvertently made in the Prime Minister’s promotional videos from his trip to Iraq (Bezan: We regret the error and are reviewing practices), and Harris read questions about previous investigations into Taliban prisoner treatment (Bezan: We are taking these allegations seriously) and directives on receiving intelligence that may have been obtained by torture (Bezan: There is no such directive), Ève Péclet and Charlie Angus tried to ask about Senate spending and got shut down by the Speaker, Don Davies and Ruth Ellen Brosseau asked asked about protecting Supply Management (Fast: We’ll protect supply management; Bernier: We have always protected the interests of all sectors). Chrystia Freeland asked about the trade deficit (Fast: Your idea of trade is to legalize the illegal trade of marijuana), Emmanual Dubourg wondered if the government would follow their plan to create a new high-earner tax bracket (Poilievre: We are lowering taxes), and Scott Brison asked more of the same (Poilievre: You would raise taxes). Françoise Boivin and Randall Garrison asked about suicides among first responders (Blaney: We respect first responders), and Brian Masse and Annick Papillon asked another cuts to tourism promotion (Bernier: We have a pan-Canadian strategy).

Round three saw questions on the Shoal Lake First Nation, rural broadband, a suicde attempt by an Inuk soldier, the inadvertent broadcasting of Special Ops soldiers’ faces, francophone immigration, the OAS age, a Legion proposal, and Supply Management.

Overall, it was a terrible day for reasons other than behaviour (which was pretty sedate, it must be said). No, it was terrible because you had an actual issue of government accountability that needed to have real questions asked about it — the government breaching operational security for a promotional video — but instead, both the NDP and the Liberals spent the first round of QP asking faux questions designed for boosterism of their electoral platforms. It’s madenning — QP is about holding the government to account. There was a clear and pressing case for it today, and everyone dropped the ball. Way to go, MPs. Slow clap.

Sartorially speaking, snaps go out to Hoang Mai for a tailore black suit with a crisp white shirt and dark blue tie, and to Lisa Raitt for a black top and trousers with a black and white speckled jacket. Style citations go out to Sadia Groguhé for a white jacket with black and gold florals with a black top and trousers, and to Mike Sullivan for a dark grey suit with a pale salmon pink shirt and orange paisley tie. Dishonourable mention goes out to Jinny Sims for a fuzzy yellow jacket with a black top and trousers.