The PM was in town but not at QP for reasons unknown, while Pierre Poilievre was off in Toronto giving another speech to the Canadian Club. That left it up to Luc Berthold to lead off in French, dredging up the false zombie statistic about the number of Canadians who are a mere $200 away from insolvency (guys, that stat doesn’t say what you think it says, and it’s never been accurate), before whining that the government voted down their Supply Day motion on removing all gas taxes (even though the clean fuel standard is not a tax, or even a charge). Steven MacKinnon listed all of the supports for Canadians that the Conservatives voted against, before noting that wages in Canada have been rising at 4.7 percent year-over-year, while that figure is just 3.5 percent in the U.S. Berthold complained that gas is twenty percent cheaper in the U.S. than in Canada, called the government’s policies inflationary, and again made a plea for the government to cut all gas taxes. MacKinnon reminded him that in February (the last month for which there are statistics), inflation was at 1.8%, which is within the Bank of Canada’s target band. Melissa Lantsman took over in English to repeat the same first question, and Tim Hodgson got up to remind her that they already cut gas taxes by 28¢/litre with the consumer carbon levy, and have the enhanced GST credit and income tax cut. Lantsman also complained that their Supply Day motion was voted down, and again all gas taxes be cut, and Hogson noted that while this government cut gas taxes by 28¢/litre, the Americans have not cut theirs at all. Shuvaloy Majumdar took over and made the same plea to cut gas taxes, and this time Sean Fraser got up to expound on the two visions of Canada, where the Conservatives’ was to cut taxes for the wealthy while the Liberals are building a strong economy. Majumdar repeated the falsehood about $200 from insolvency, and Patty Hajdu got up to proclaim how much families are saving thanks to the current government.

Christine Normandin led for the Bloc, and she raised the issue of the added aluminium tariffs, to which Dominic LeBlanc appreciated her concern, and he assured her that they were working on the issue, and that he has raised it with this American counterparts. Normandin worried about businesses suffering from this, and LeBlanc repeated his assurances. Simon-Pierre Savard-Tremblay took over to ask the same again (because they need more clips), and LeBlanc repeated the same assurances yet again.

Round two, and Mark Strahl returned to the demand to cut all “Liberal taxes” on gas and food (Long: Tortured hockey analogy; Your leader is focused on podcasts and saving his career while we are focused on Canadians), Laila Goodridge read the same script (Turnbull: You keep voting against helping Canadians), Dave Epp asked the same (van Koeverden: Your demands are for outlandish deficits; What would you cut to pay for your irresponsible suggestions), and Connie Cody read the same script (Church: We have been focused on affordability since we took office, and wages are up 4.7 percent from last year).

Martin Champoux demanded more funding for independent francophone news media (Miller: We have numerous supports for media; You voted against these supports).

Pierre Paul-Hus worried about the state of the steel sector (Lightbound: We can’t help foreign decisions but we can help Canadians, and we have the highest wage growth in the G7; Leitão: We have been renegotiating our trade agreement with the U.S. for the past year, but we won’t just sign any agreement), Gérard Deltell decried a news story about the CRA paying out millions to a fraudster (Long: We can’t comment on specific cases, but the CRA will take legal action if necessary), and Jacques Gourde announced the birth of his eighth grandchild before he decried the government’s debt and gas taxes (MacKinnon: We would welcome her to the world, be he will have to answer to her why he voted against the Canada Child Benefit).

Jacques Gourde announced the birth of his eighth grandchild before decrying fuel taxes. Steven MacKinnon says that Gourde will have to answer to said grandchild about why he voted against the Canada Child Benefit. *sigh*Could we get some adults in our Parliament? #QP

— Dale Smith (@journodale.bsky.social) 2026-04-16T18:54:07.026Z

Round three saw questions on the decline in entrepreneurship in Canada (Valdez: We are cutting red tape and helping businesses access new markets; MacDonald: All these companies believe in Canada but you don’t; McGuinty: We’re investing in the defence industrial sector), gas taxes (Hodgson: We have cut gas taxes by 28¢/litre so far while the Americans haven’t cut theirs at all), jobs in London, Ontario (Fragiskatos: London has been very exposed to trade, and we will get them jobs in the defence sector), the allegations about an ethics violation by the finance minister (MacKinnon: We have the strictest ethics rules in the world and the minister has followed then), voting for Iran for a seat on a UN committee (Fortier: This was an acclamation nomination because there were no other contenders), an oil spill from Imperial Oil while tailings ponds leak into watersheds (Hodgson: Regulators provide independent oversight for the pipeline network and federal regulations hold companies liable), and surveillance pricing (Leitão: The Competition Bureau released a report earlier this year).

https://bsky.app/profile/journodale.bsky.social/post/3mjn3syeais2p

Overall, it was an incredibly stupid day, whether it was the resurrection of that zombie statistic about insolvency, the nonsense about gas taxes, or the weird diversion about declining entrepreneurship, as though that is a lever the government controls (and no, just crying “red tape!” is not an actual solution, guys). But things just went off the rails—Jacques Gourde talking about his new granddaughter to complain about gas taxes, the claim that somehow, a pipeline (presumably to the west coast) will create jobs in London, Ontario, and howling about a vote for a UN committee that wasn’t a vote. It was just a clown show, amateur hour all the way down, and I just wish that we had adults in the room.

Sartorially speaking, snaps go out to Peter Fragiskatos for a dark grey tailored three-piece suit over a white shirt with matching pocket square and a dark pink paisley tie, and to Melissa Lantsman for a navy jacket with a fuchsia windowpane pattern over a black top and slacks. Style citations go out to Sophie Chatel for a high-collared zip-up jacket with an blinding assortment of clashing patterns, and to Adam van Koeverden for a dark brown suit over a maroon sweater covering a light blue shirt with a yellow tie. Dishonourable mention goes out to Rebecca Alty for a black suit with a black and yellow collared top.