The PM was present today, as was Pierre Poilievre, so there was a buzz of anticipation for this show-down after his convention (though really, nothing was going to really change). As well, Stephen Harper and several of his former ministers were in the gallery to watch the proceedings in advance of Harper’s portrait unveiling. Poilievre led off in French, and launched into his spiel about “hope” and his “theory” on “hidden taxes” on food price inflation, and wondered what the government’s theory was. Mark Carney said that the industrial carbon price worked out to zero, and there was no food packaging tax, but that the biggest problem was the currency exchange, tariffs, and climate change. Poilievre insisted that it couldn’t be the problem, because other countries face lower food price inflation, and Carney registered his points. Poilievre repeated his first question in English, and got much the same response with an added bit about the clean fuel regulations being good for the canola farmers in his riding. Poilievre again tried to contest these assertions, and Carney returned that he knows that Poilievre is “just visiting his riding,” and after things calmed down, he suggested that Poilievre spend time with the farmers in nis riding to see how the biofuel charge helps canola production. Poilievre retorted that Carney was just visiting Canada, and listed towns in his riding to ask people there about the charges. Carney said he would always be happy to go back to his home province. Poilievre returned to his “theory” and demanded Carney’s, and Carney said that the fall of the Canadian dollar, thanks to Conservative obstruction, was one of the drivers.

Yves-François Blanchet led for the Bloc, and after an acknowledgment to Harper, he asked about the expropriation in Quebec as it related to Mirabel. Carney also acknowledged Harper before saying high speed rail is a national project that is getting consultation. Blanchet railed about the “trauma” of the expropriation related to Mirabel and wondered if he was aware that high speed rail would do the same. Carney insisted that they were cooperating closely with the constituents there about a small corridor and not a huge airport. Blanchet said that C-5 and C-15 were “heartless” bills, and Carney wondered if Blanchet was actually in favour of high speed rail.

Round two, and Poilievre got back up to again demand Carney’s “theory” on food price inflation (MacKinnon: He knows full well we have taken measures to support families), and accused Carney of “tanking” the dollar (MacKinnon: Our help is more than $10/week), Poilievre tried again (Hajdu: All we hear from them is imaginary taxes and they refuse to listen to experts), Warren Steinley reads his own script about food price inflation (van Koeverden: You have never been concerned about help for people; Fragiskatos: You stopped quoting Food Banks Canada after they supported our assistance), Shelby Kramp-Neuman read the same script again (McLean: On the one hand they chide the benefits and on the other they say not everyone will get it; Valdez: The benefits help those who need it, as does the Canada Child Benefit, the school food programme, and our tax cut.

Occasionally, Conservatives will demand that the government lower grocery prices, as though there is a command and control economy. This far, nobody has responded with a good “Zap, you’re frozen!” reference. #QP

— Dale Smith (@journodale.bsky.social) 2026-02-03T19:48:27.322Z

Andréanne Larouche got up to decry the issue pensioners not getting payments thanks to software glitches (Hajdu: The department is modernising the system, and if you know of cases, please forward them to the department; McLean: Same in halting French).

Laila Goodridge returned to the food inflation script (Valdez: Hooray for child care; Hajdu: Hooray for the national school food programme), Marilyn Gladu read the same script yet again (McKnight: You seen to be missing details about our announcement), Jonathan Rowe read the same script (Thompson: Hooray for our programmes), and Scott Anderson railed that the government blames exterior factors for food prices and won’t do anything (Fragiskatos: All of these reports show that climate change is the cause).

Round three saw questions on auto job losses (Joly: We are working to bring new opportunities but we never hear from you that these workers are victims of Trump tariffs; There are still new jobs in the sector; LeBlanc: Your party supported the auto industry at a crucial moment, and that’s what we’re doing; Zerucelli: The auto workers in your riding told me they want opportunities to two the economy; Solomon: We are in a trade war and our party is focused on jobs for Canadians), forestry (Joly: We have support measures and are working on a long-term plan; You won’t blame the Americans for this trade war), temporary immigrant removals (Diab: The numbers are down and we will stick to our targets), rent hike on troops (McGuinty: We are building new units and retrofitting existing units), cuts to foreign aid (Sarai: We are making generational investments while we strengthen international partnerships), and a lack of funding for CMHC co-op subsidies (Robertson: Co-op homes are a big part of Build Canada Homes). 

Adam Chambers: The government had ten years to protect the auto sector?Huh? How does that make any sense? #QP

— Dale Smith (@journodale.bsky.social) 2026-02-03T19:54:24.779Z

Rhonda Kirkland: This government spent ten years de-industrialising Canada! Wow. Just wow. Again, the delusion is strong on that bench. #QP

— Dale Smith (@journodale.bsky.social) 2026-02-03T19:56:42.122Z

Overall, there was a weird change of tone where Poilievre, after months and months of asserting that it was his imaginary “hidden taxes” raising food prices, today he was asking for “theories,” and then dismissing them out of hand when Carney and others pointed to studies that have shown that the causes have to do with climate change, but also the effect of our low dollar and tariffs. And sure, on the one hand, Carney and others actually mentioned some of those reasons for a change, it’s like they just ignored the volleys being sent to them. Poilievre kept asking for “theories” after giving his own nonsense about hidden taxes, and there wasn’t a  directed volley about not needing theories because we have data that shows the causes, and when Poilievre said “it can’t possibly be because other countries aren’t as high” and actually point to those reasons (they’re not importing on a low dollar, part of that high inflation number last month is a base-year effect because of the “GST holiday” last year that mostly affected food purchased from restaurants, and so on). These are not “theories.” They need to be asserted as such, and the government needs to stop being so timid about it.

Otherwise, there is some more bad faith questions being asked about the auto sector job losses, and assertions that the government had “a decade” to protect the sector (from what? We’ve had an integrated auto sector with the US since the 1950s!) or that this is coming out of nowhere because none of them will raise Trump’s tariffs as the reason for these job losses, though the fact that there remains a global shortage of semiconductor chips is another reason why production has reduced in the sector, and again, nobody is mentioning this. There were also incredibly bad faith questions coming from Michelle Rempel Garner on immigration numbers and removals, designed entirely to see Lina Diab flounder on camera, but dear Zeus, the bad faith is palpable.

Sartorially speaking, snaps go out to Rechie Valdez for a long light-grey jacket over a white shirt and light blue slacks, and to Blaine Calkins for a medium-grey three-piece suit over a lavender shirt with a dark purple tie. Style citations go out to Randy Hoback for a dark checked jacket over a white collared shirt, blue jeans, and not tie, and to Rhonda Kirkland for a fuchsia half-sleeved jacket over a blue shirt with little patterns over it and black slacks. Dishonourable mention goes out to Rebecca Alty for a black suit with a black and yellow floral print shirt, and to Buckley Belanger for a black suit over a white shirt with a yellow striped tie.