For the final QP of the spring sitting, the PM was once again absent—back from France, but off again to Vancouver to watch a World Cup match. Priorities. Pierre Poilievre was present for the first time this week, and he led off in French, to read a soliloquy about our woeful economic situation, and demanded the prime minister defend it. Steven MacKinnon got up to pat himself on the back for delivering 21 pieces of legislation and the supposed biggest criminal justice reform ever. (Really?) Poilievre launched into the old tactic of the question being for the prime minister and that he wasn’t answering, and after being cautioned by the Speaker, Poilievre asked when the recession would end. François-Philippe Champagne go up to say that he was surprised that Poilievre didn’t thank the PM for the success at the G7. Poilievre switched to English to repeat his first question, framing intact, and MacKinnon repeated his same response as before. Poilievre declare that they plan to spend the summer fighting the “Liberal recession” and he launched into a his demand that the prime minister standup to defend it. Champagne got back up and patted himself on the back for increased investment, and recited a couple of slogans along the way. Poilievre accused this of being a “hallucination” and railed about the shrinking economy, and again demanded the PM stand up. Patty Hajdu took this as an insult to people in the skilled trades (erm, really?). Poilievre launched into another soliloquy about the supposed “recession” we are not actually in. Tim Hodgson listed the conservative premiers who are interested in working with the government. 

Christine Normandin led for the Bloc, and she accused the prime minister of betraying the environment and Quebec culture, undoing a generation of struggle. MacKinnon got up to praise their “generational investment” and that the government is investing hundreds of millions in culture, and got a swipe about high-speed rail in there as well. Normandin called out the constant concessions to Trump, and the lack of respect shown to Parliament. Miller was incredulous that the Bloc were talking about betrayal when they want to destroy the country. Mario Simard took over, and repeated the same points. Joël Lightbound listed things that the Bloc were voting against.

Round two, and Poilievre got back up to rail about a lack of housing (MacKinnon: Congratulations to the minster of housing who will be announcing a historic agreement with the government of British Columbia; McKelvie: I want to thank our housing sector), Poilievre accused the government of being “at war” with their own statistical agencies (MacKinnon: When you were minister, you only built six units of housing—which is not actually true); Politicians don’t build homes, and when I was minister, 200,000 homes were built and prices were lower (Zerucelli: The building trades build houses; McKelvie: Housing starts are up from last year and completions are up); and then launched into his soliloquy about how “wrong” Carney has been about the economy for a decade (MacKinnon: You pretend do stand for vulnerable people but keep voting against a hand up for people who need it; Champagne: We will take no lessons).

Apparently it’s “Soliloquy Period” today. #QP

— Dale Smith (@journodale.bsky.social) 2026-06-18T18:38:03.207Z

Patrick Bonin returned to the issue of the “climate betrayal” (Dabrusin: Hooray for our nature strategy and our electricity strategy), and worried about the documents for a nuclear plant decommissioning being in English only (Guay: It was unacceptable that they were not provided in French, and we have let them know).

Scott Aitchison demanded the prime minister stand to defend his housing record (McKelvie: The Build Canada Homes Act just passed the Senate; Long: Your leader keeps attacking housing), Gérard Deltell recited our economic woes en français and also demanded the prime minister stand up to defend his record (Desrochers: We added jobs to the economy and salaries are up; Leitão: You should talk to the CD Howe’ business council report), Jacques Gourde went the same again (Guay: You forgot that we would increase the size of the Port of Montreal and the graphite mine in Quebec).

Round three saw questions on supposed foreign links to gunmen in Canada (Sahota: My comments were made to echo was was reported in media; Anandasangaree: Hooray for passing the lawful access bill), the supposed “recession” (Long: The PBO confirmed that millions will benefit from automatic tax filing; MacKinnon: Theatre New Brunswick is probably auditioning for key roles and you should think about it; Valdez: Hooray for school food and our food strategy; Church: Premiers agreed to a permanent doubling of the school food programme); the Cowichan decision (Alty: This is before the courts; Private property is provincial jurisdiction; Fraser: When government disagrees with a decision, we appeal it, which we have), the minister voting against a clearly unconstitutional bill (Diab: Anyone who commits a crime regardless of immigration status is treated under the law by judges; Fraser: When a dangerous person commits a serious crime, they should face a serious sentence, and the Supreme Court has found that immigration consequences must be weighed in sentencing), trolling for support for a bill on opioid drug dealers (Fraser: We need to do everything we can to combat the opioid crisis), the lack of rights recognition in the clean water legislation (Gull-Masty: We know the $4.6 billion in resources attached to that bill will help communities), and the claim that the war in Iran was “worth it” (Oliphant: War is always tragic, and we are encouraged by the peace deal and we have followed the process closely).

We’re into the racist “you imported terrorists” questions. #QP

— Dale Smith (@journodale.bsky.social) 2026-06-18T18:54:52.637Z

If you’re keeping score, Ruby Sahota sort of walked back her claim of foreign links to shootings in Toronto, and says she was “echoing” media reports. #QP cc @jessmarindavis.bsky.social

— Dale Smith (@journodale.bsky.social) 2026-06-18T18:59:05.532Z

Overall, it was a day where Poilievre decided to once again hog the cameras for the first half, and spend most of his time delivering soliloquies rather than actually asking anything of substance, paired with his theatrical demands for the prime minister to “stand up and defend” his record, and complaining that he won’t stand up, because he can’t say that he’s not present. It’s such a stupid stunt, and they keep doing it (in part because Carney is so rarely present). But it wasn’t just Poilievre who did it—most of the other Conservatives who stood up during the second half did the same thing.

Otherwise, it was a rowdy day, the MPs who were still here restless before the Chamber would rise for the summer, and those on the roster got to get their last clips in before the summer. We did see Ruby Sahota have to issue a sort-of clarification to her assertion yesterday about alleged foreign actors paying guns-for-hire (which was mostly just bluster to justify the unconstitutional lawful access bill), for all the good that did. And I will give Steven MacKinnon props for his clapback to Richard Bragdon, saying “I know Theatre New Brunswick is probably auditioning for some key roles. I think the member should sign up. He has missed his calling.” But that was as clever as any of the exchanges got, which is lamentable.

And with that, the children have gone home for the summer.

— Dale Smith (@journodale.bsky.social) 2026-06-18T20:42:04.082Z

Sartorially speaking, snaps go out to Linda Lapointe for a medium-blue lapel-less jacket and matching skirt over a white top with a ribbed pattern, and to Sameer Zuberi for a tailored navy suit with a crisp white shirt and a thin navy tie. Style citations go out to Harb Gill for a pale grey Jackie over a light blue shirt, navy slacks, and a black and white checked tie, and to Madeleine Chenette for a black dress with light blue and gold florals printed across it.