Unusually for a Tuesday in the current Parliament, the PM was not present today even though he was in the building, but Pierre Poilievre was present, and led led off in French, and he raised the Auditor General’s into student visas, and he torqued and misrepresented what was found. Lina Diab got up to recite that they have taken on the AG’s recommendations, and provided a corrective in terms of what triggers investigations. Poilievre declared that the question was for the PM who “is in Ottawa” (skirting the line of what is allowed), and demanded the PM fire the current and past two immigration ministers. Marc Miller, one of those past ministers, got up and took a gratuitous swipe at Poilievre. Poilievre then switched to English to again demand those three minsters be fired, and Sean Fraser, the third of those former minsters, said that if anyone is guilty of political incompetence, it is Poilievre. Poilievre claimed that Carney is encouraging incompetence, and again recited torqued and misleading claims from the report, and again demanded they be fired. Diab got back up to repeat her first response in English. Poilievre mocked her response, and Diab again got back up to praise that the Auditor General for agreeing that they tightened the system. Poilievre took a swipe at the absent Carney and demanded he “stand up now,” and this time Steven MacKinnon to praise the Liberal record and Diab’s performance, and touted the decline in population as though that was a good thing.

Backbench Liberal to Poilievre: “How many antivaxx billionaires did you meet with?” #QP

— Dale Smith (@journodale.bsky.social) 2026-03-24T18:24:49.144Z

Yves-François Blanchet led for the Bloc, and badmouthed the lawyers at the Supreme Court on the Law 21 challenge, and demanded the government withdraw their arguments. Fraser said that they are standing up for the constitution, and that the Supreme Court is the best place to have this debate. Blanchet treated this as the assertion that the federal government is superior to Quebec’s, and this time Joël Lightbound expressed some confusion with the question, and pledged that the government would not use disallowance. Blanchet then took swipes at Pierre Trudeau, and claimed that the argument is a “colony of Canada,” to which Lightbound reminded him that Quebeckers are challenging the law at the Court.

Round two, and Melissa Lantsman read a script on that Auditor General’s report, and demanded three ministers be fired (Diab: Since 2025, 100 percent of files flagged by institutions were investigated; MacKinnon: A slam about Poilievre still in his seat after blowing a 25-point lead), Michelle Rempel Garner engaged in a bunch scapegoating of immigrants and refugee claimants before demanding the three ministers be fired (Diab: Canadians know this government has a plan; MacKinnon: This minister brought a situation under control), Pierre Paul-Hus read the same script in French (Diab: Canada has clear goals around temporary residents and extensions; Miller: While we were reducing immigration, your leader was criss-crossing the country promising visas for everyone), and Gabriel Hardy tried again (Joly: Our plan is working).

Rhéal Fortin raised the four provinces who want more powers over judicial appointments (Fraser: We have a process that works, and we get recommendations from independent committees, and we discuss candidates with counterparts in the provinces).

The Bloc just outright lied about the judicial appointment process, if you’re keeping score. #QP

— Dale Smith (@journodale.bsky.social) 2026-03-24T18:41:22.823Z

Brad Redekopp returned to the script on the student visas and immigration ministers (MacKinnon: Are you having a reckoning about being handed a script by a 24 year-old and being forced to read it), Tamara Kronis read the same again (Hajdu: Even though they enjoy the benefits of something like the Canada Summer Jobs programme, they vote against it), Jason Groleau worried that tariffs have still not been lifted (Joly: We are working with regions, and your party is still awfully silent about the tariffs), and Richard Martel read the same script again (Joly: Same answer).

Round three saw questions on immigration issues (Hajdu: What you are alleging is hard to prove but yay for our investments; Zerucelli: This is repetitive, but what is up are members on our side of the house and what’s is down are members on yours; Long: Your leader never worked in the economy; Valdez: We are making sure that opportunities are ready for young people ready to work), auto exports (Joly: Unifor is against your proposal; Your plan ignores the parts industry; Turnbull: We can’t go back to 1965; Solomon: Nostalgia is not a plan), the Phoenix replacement (Lightbound: We are moving ahead to the new system; The backlog has been reduced by 50 percent), the salmon fishery in BC (Thompson: We just finished a year of consultation and no decision has been made), and cutting a housing programme for wheelchair users (Robertson: That was a two-year programme, and is transitioning to a different programme while we put $1 billion to supportive and transitional housing), and the Iran conflict and complicity with arms exports (Anand: We are concerned about the humanitarian toll and our focus is on de-escalation and ensuring the unimpeded flow of energy and supplies though the Strait of Hormuz).

Kyle Seeback seems convinced that Trump is a rational actor and Carney is the reason why there are still auto tariffs. #QP

— Dale Smith (@journodale.bsky.social) 2026-03-24T18:58:52.788Z

Overall, it was an incredibly repetitive day with the same scripts demanding the firing/resignations of the current and past two immigration ministers, based on a torqued reading of the Auditor General’s latest report on student visas. Along the way, some of the questions veered awfully close to far-right talking points, while various Liberal ministers did themselves no favours by continually going back to the Farage-esque talking points about getting immigration “under control.” Guys—you are not helping yourselves when you use language like that, because it is dangerous and fuels more far-right activity, aside from the point that it was never actually “out of control,” and borders were never flung open, and it especially ignores the role of the provinces in the spike in immigration numbers. Stop giving ammunition to the far-right!

Meanwhile, the Bloc were unhinged today, between the questions on the Supreme Court of Canada case on Quebec’s Law 21—questions which should have no place in QP—before demanding the government capitulate to the demands of four premiers, Quebec’s included, for more say over judicial appointments, lying about the current process along the way. This is significant if only because they had planned to ask about the pension software once again as they have every day since January (and the Bloc alerts the media as to what questions they will be asking ahead of time), which makes this the first sitting day this year that they haven’t brought up that pension software. Make of that what you will. I will also note that the Conservatives are back on their particular bullshit about Carney being the problem with tariffs and not Trump, and that their so-called “Tariff-free auto deal” is some kind of a done deal rather than just a fantasy that Trump would never sign onto because Trump loves tariffs and doesn’t believe Canada should have an auto industry. The level of delusion is just unbelievable.

I think if question period was more functional, a story like this would have prompted a question or two for the government this week.

— Aaron Wherry (@aaronwherry.bsky.social) 2026-03-24T18:56:22.717Z

Sartorially speaking, snaps go out to Mandy Gull-Masty for a burgundy jacket with a mandarin collar and dark blue embroidery over a black top and wide slacks, and to Yasir Naqvi for a tailored dark trey suit with a crisp white shirt and a dark pink tie. Style citations go out to Ernie Klasen for a navy suit and tie with a bright fuchsia shirt, and to Marie-France Lalonde for a taupe suit over a white smock top with a tight red and pink floral pattern. Dishonourable mention goes out to Rebecca Alty for a mustard yellow jacket over an off-white top and black slacks.