The PM was present today, as has become his usual Tuesday practice, as was Pierre Poilievre. He led off in French, and he declared that people are fed up with Liberal “waste,” and decried the new software for OAS, which has deprived 80,000 seniors of their cheques. Mark Carney took the opportunity to make a statement of solidarity with Ukraine, and as to the question, he noted that it started in 2017 and was broadened to other departments. Poilievre again railed about this software, claiming that $5 billion was “wasted.” Carney again stated that the “former” government started the process and broadened it to include more programmes, that they are all budgeted, and that the Auditor General already examined the programme. Poilievre switched to English to blame immigrants and asylum seekers for overburdening healthcare, and Carney responded by first saying that we provide care for people, before he returned to the Nigel Farage line of “taking control” of immigration and that they have reduced the numbers of immigration and asylum claims. Poilievre doubled down on scapegoating immigration, and Carney noted that he looks forward to his first anniversary of being in power, and again proclaimed taking “control” of the system. Poilievre was incredulous at this, declared Carney to be “just another Liberal,” and demanded support for their Supply Day motion. Carney stood up and said “Eleven years? I just got here,” and after the resulting uproar, and again patted himself on the back for reducing newcomer intake and put in plugs for Bills C-2 and C-12. Poilievre shot back that Carney was some kind of temporary foreign worker before listing members of the front bench from the Trudeau Cabinet, and then decried the fictional “sentencing discounts” for foreign criminals, and Carney responded that people who commit crimes should do their time.

Matt Jeneroux and Chris D’Entremont are both sitting on the front bench for #QP to fill the camera shot.

— Dale Smith (@journodale.bsky.social) 2026-02-24T19:18:10.229Z

Michael Ma is also on the front row, a couple of seats down. #QP

— Dale Smith (@journodale.bsky.social) 2026-02-24T19:19:01.879Z

Yves-François Blanchet led for the Bloc, and he again turned to the pension software system, declaring it the worst cost overrun in history. Carney pointed out that he as governor of the Bank of England when the project got started and that all funding was budgeted for. Blanchet mocked the response, and denounced the “mistreatment” of seniors who aren’t getting their cheques. Carney responded by listing the programmes they have strengthened in Quebec. Blanchet again declared this to be the biggest scandal in history, and demanded an independent inquiry. Carney reminded him that the Auditor General has already reviewed the project and that it was fully budgeted.

Round two, and Melissa Lantsman tried again to scapegoat immigrants and refugee claimants for overburdening healthcare (MacKinnon: You’re punching down), Dan Mazier read the same script (Diab: You should support our immigration programmes; The system is working), Gabriel Hardy read the same script in French (Diab: We are strengthening our borders and making it harder for those who want to abuse the system; We will never endanger the safety of Canadians), Rhonda Kirkland tried again in English (Hajdu: Stop voting against help for Canadians, and stop punching down).

We’re back to the racist and MAGA scapegoating of immigrants and asylum seekers for the failing healthcare systems. #QP

— Dale Smith (@journodale.bsky.social) 2026-02-24T19:34:54.521Z

Mazier: Six million Canadians can’t get a family doctor (and then blames immigrants and refugees)Liberal backbencher: Talk to your premier! #QP

— Dale Smith (@journodale.bsky.social) 2026-02-24T19:37:58.970Z

If provincial healthcare providers are charging the federal interim health programme five times the amount for refugee claimants, that seems like a provincial problem or fraud, not a refugee problem. FFS #QP

— Dale Smith (@journodale.bsky.social) 2026-02-24T19:45:04.963Z

Sébastien Lemire returned to the pension software issue (Hajdu: So you prefer a sixty year-old paper-based system?; McLean: The figures that are cited are the budgeted upper limit, not the amount spent).

Brad Redekopp made false claims about refugee approvals (Fraser: You’re punching down), Sukhman Gill read the same script (Fraser: You are dog-whistling), Harb Gill read the same script again (Anand: Work with us on Bill C-12), Michelle Rempel Garner made claims about “failed” claimants getting “better benefits” (Diab: We take these issues seriously, which is why is why we have strengthened our system; Sahota: Your claims are false, and when their claims are rejected, their work permits and healthcare are cancelled).

Diab: We are proud of our system!Bailey: YOU SHOULDN’T BE! IT’S AWFUL! #QP

— Dale Smith (@journodale.bsky.social) 2026-02-24T19:51:57.763Z

Round three saw questions on millennials losing hope (Gainey: We support all Canadians and have a tax credit for first-time homebuyers; Thompson: You don’t support programmes to help people in your riding; You need to read the budget), housing (Gregor Robertson: We are delivering and you should support our bill; McGuinty: We just announced more housing units, including on military bases; the pension software (MacKinnon: You failed drama school, and as we’ve said, we have replaced the outdated system and it’s within budget and we are fixing glitches; Hajdu: Let’s have a conversation about the real facts of this issue, and those figures are new cases, not existing ones), a bail case (Sahota: The Senate needs to pass Bill C-14; We are a tough-on-crime government), child sexual abuse materials (Fraser: We have a new bill and you should support lawful access), agricultural research (MacDonald: We are streamlining researching to prioritize high-impact areas), Danielle Smith privatising care (Michel: I will always stand up for the Canada Health Act), and the disability tax credit form being onerous for doctors (Hajdu: Hooray for the credit).

Overall, the day was a continuation of yesterday’s grossness, but this time with the leaders in play. Poilievre leading off with French-only questions about the pension software was predicated on what appears to be a misreading of contingency funds as opposed to cost-overruns, but rather than point this out, Carney simply pointed out that he wasn’t in politics when the project started. Huh? And when Poilievre moved onto scapegoating immigrants and asylum seekers, Carney did not point out that this was scapegoating, that it was steeped in racism or trying to appeal to a MAGA base, or to call any of that out, but instead, insisted that he “just got here,” and blamed all of that on Trudeau (which, I again point out, was not a real problem, and no floodgates were opened), and even worse, again came back the with the Nigel Farage language of “taking back control.” Seriously? That’s not leadership. That’s going along with the scapegoating.

Yes, you had a couple of ministers say that what the Conservatives are doing is punching down, but that was as strong as their condemnation ever got. As the rhetoric escalates, this tepid response is hardly reassuring at all. I will also note that a couple of questions stated that provincial health providers were billing the interim health programme for these asylum claimants as much as five times the usual rate for services, as though this was the fault of the claimants, when, if true, that’s a matter for the provinces and possibly criminal fraud. Of course, this is not the first time provinces have overcharged a federal programme either, and they previously did so with military personnel using provincial hospitals. If that was going on—and nobody on the government benches acknowledged these accusations—that’s a service-provider problem, not an excuse to scapegoat these asylum claimants further, and it would have been nice if somoene could point this out for a change. But overall, the day was another disgusting display and nobody acquitted themselves.

Sartorially speaking, snaps go Scott Reid for a black three-piece suit with a light blue shirt and a dark orange tie, and to Giovanna Mingarelli for a tailored grey striped suit over a cream-coloured collared top. Style citations go out to Rhonda Kirkland for a black jacket and slacks over a blue and white floral top, and to Jonathan Rowe for a blue-grey jacket over a light grey top and dark blue jeans with no tie. Dishonourable mention goes out to Mandy Gull-Masty for a black wrap top with bright yellow flowers with black slacks, and to Rebecca Alty for a black jacket and slacks with a black and yellow floral top.