Author Archives: Dale

About Dale

Journalist in the Canadian Parliamentary Press Gallery

QP: Paradis asserts his innocence – again

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It was day two of a series of self-congratulatory members’ statements for the NDP, and Thomas Mulcair was again given the opportunity to shine without Harper present. Not that Mulcair really did, as he utilised one of the small lecterns on his desk to read his script from, asking first about the F-35s not meeting the Statement of Operational Requirements. It was Jason Kenney’s turn to be designated back-up PM, and he got to repeat the “no contracts signed” talking point that the responsible minister might otherwise have in his place. When asked about changes to the OAS, which Libby Davies in turn followed up on, Kenney and then Kellie Leitch both recited the talking points on being concerned for future generations. Davies then turned to the question of downloading healthcare costs onto the provinces, giving Leona Aglukkaq the opportunity to trot out her “Liberals gutted provincial transfers” talking point. Bob Rae turned to the issue of Aveos and the laws put in place around the Air Canada privatisation, but Kenney decided that rather than give an actual answer, he would repeat the attack ads about how Rae was a terrible Ontario premier. Rae’s final question was on Christian Paradis’ latest ethical gaffe, around the hunting trip, but Kenney assured him that there was in fact no conflict of interest.

Round two kicked off with Christine Moore and Matthew Kellway returning to the issue of the F-35 SOR (Fantino: Yay RCAF!), David Christopherson asked about the post-living differential afforded to military families (Fantino: We need to face the economic reality but wait for the budget), Alexandre Boulerice and Niki Ashton asked about the Robocon issue (Poilievre: We’re cooperating, Del Mastro: That’s all false and you diverted funds to the Broadbent Institute), and Charlie Angus and Guy Caron asked about Paradis’ hunting trip (Paradis: I paid my own way and brought my own food, and they didn’t lobby me anyway). Stéphane Dion asked about the Aveos issue (Lebel: This is a private sector issue), Lise St-Denis returned to the Paradis issue (Paradis gave his very same reply), and Wayne Easter asked why the Conservatives refused to show any humility amidst their various ethical lapses (Del Mastro: Sponsorship scandal! Missing $43 million! Never mind it was $39 million but I guess he’s figuring in inflation).  Closing off the round, Olivia Chow, Isabelle Morin, Peggy Nash and Pat Martin each asked about the Aveos issue (Lebel: This is aprivate sector issue).

Round three saw questions on the search and rescue failure in Labrador, insufficient francophone presence in the Atlantic search and rescue centre, EI claims delays, the F-35 SOR, Aboriginal skills development, and the downgrading of that Arctic research facility.

Sartorially speaking, snaps go out to Rosane Doré Lefebvre for her white dress with the black pattern and a black jacket, and to Matthew Dubé for his tailored black suit with a crisp white shirt and a grey crosshatch patterned tie. Style citations go out to Bev Shipley for his orangey-yellow shirt and gold-yellow tie with a black suit, and to Laurin Liu for a white dress with a red and orange floral pattern. Dishonourable mentions go out to Jacques Gourde for a fluorescent blue shirt and grey suit, and to Christine Moore for her sequined black sweater.

QP: Mulcair follows his script

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With the NDP front bench once again being filled by its regular denizens, I’m sure that there were a few disappointed faces among backbenchers normally relegated to the nosebleeds who would no longer get to be on seat-filler duty, but it was all smiles and applause for new party leader Thomas Mulcair, and for the former leadership candidates who each made a Member’s Statement to congratulate Mulcair and to thank their campaigns for all of their hard work.

When Mulcair did rise to start off QP, he read off his questions from the papers on his desk, and asked about job losses, first from Electro-Motive in London and now Aveos, and just what did the government intend to do about it. In what is likely to be the pattern to come, he asked the first two in French, and the final in English. James Moore was the designated back-up PM for the day – as Harper is still in Asia – and he assured the House that their government had created over 600,000 net new jobs since they began the Economic Action Plan™. Libby Davies followed up – the choice of her order in the rotation fully symbolic of unity in the party – and she asked about the provinces being “short-changed” some $31 billion in health transfers. Leona Aglukkaq assured her that funding was at record levels, unlike how the Liberals gutted transfers. Bob Rae then got up for the Liberals and returned to the Aveos question, and unscripted and showing Mulcair’s wooden performance up, wondered why the laws around Air Canada’s maintenance obligations weren’t being followed if that’s what was important. Moore referred him to the transport minister’s previous statement, and tried for a few digs, not that Rae was biting.

Round two kicked off with Peter Julian decrying the attempt to download costs onto the provinces, and which both Flaherty and Leitch played down, Jean Crowder asked about EI services in amidst the Aveos layoffs (Leitch: We’ve added resources and delivered for Canadians!), Yvon Godin carefully read out a scripted question about Lisa Raitt and Air Canada employees (Raitt – whose body language was one of no tolerance – reminded Godin that the incident and statements ascribed to her were untrue and to kindly stop repeating them), Alexandre Boulerice and Charlie Angus asked about the “leaks” in the “Pierre Poutine” affaire (Poilievre: usual spin, Del Mastro referred to Angus as the “Member for 8 Mile,” and worried about the “bad rap” he as giving things), before Angus and then Guy Caron went after Christian Paradis for the Ethics breach he was found in (Paradis: No contract was awarded, I’ll take future precautions). Denis Coderre and Kevin Lamoureux asked again about the Aveos issue (Lebel: We’re waiting for Transport Committee to report), while Christine Moore and Matthew Kellway asked about the F-35s (Fantino: You don’t know what you’re talking about), and Malcolm Allen asked about the dismantling of the Wheat Board and the potential sale of Vitera (Anderson: Look at all the marketing freedom!).

Round three saw questions on fish habitats, muzzled scientists, the ethics ruling against Paradis and the tone of his response (Paradis in turn read his very same talking points word-for-word), the search-and-rescue failure in Labrador, payment regulations, the ongoing drug shortage (Aglukkaq: We opened up our stockpile and no province has made any requests), and the language of immigration officers.

Sartorially speaking, snaps go out to James Bezan, who continues to show how simple tailoring can make a black suit look great, and he wore that with a shirt of the palest purple with a black tie, and a white pocket square, and to Michelle Rempel, for a simple long-sleeved black dress with a tasteful chunky black chain necklace. Style citations go out to James Lunney for a fluorescent blue shirt and grey suit, and to Denise Savoie, for a rather swampy green and brown wave-patterned jacket with a collared white shirt.

The crystal palace

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Green Party leader Elizabeth May held a press conference this morning to talk about cuts and austerity, and as part of that suggested that the government could save $100 million by forgoing the construction of the “crystal palace” to replace the House of Commons. This of course refers to the plan to glass in the courtyard of the West Block, which will serve as a temporary House of Commons while the Centre Block undergoes needed renovations. May’s suggestion is that the Commons relocate down the street to the Government Conference Centre – the old train station across from the Chateau Laurier.

When the so-called “crystal palace” was first unveiled, there were a number of people writing into newspapers suggesting that the House could perhaps “tour” various parts of the country, and incredulously suggested that the only people put out would be those MPs who hail from different time zones, and that those from closer ones would get the break for the change.

What either of these proposals miss are the fact that the House of Commons is more than just a chamber in isolation. There is a machinery of government that cannot simply pick up and move. That the Chamber itself will be moving one building over to the West Block will be disruptive enough to the machinery of government, but the logistical hurdles necessary to accommodate either move would be unfeasible to say the least.

First of all, the Commons is more than just a debating society in isolation that can debate wherever it likes. While in theory, MPs could hold debates wherever they like, the fact is that they have committee duties, staff, and obligations within their offices that cannot simply be packed up and done out of hotel rooms for weeks or months at a time. More than that, ministerial offices are located in Ottawa, and having ministers work entirely remotely from there is a non-starter. The “democrabus” of a travelling Chamber is an idea that holds no basis in reality.

As for May’s suggestion, however, she seems to miss some of the finer logistical points. For starters, it’s more than just the fact that the Chamber itself is a rather technologically sophisticated marvel, between wiring for sound and simultaneous translation, as well as for television. As well, there needs to be adequate security measures in place, and room for press, dignitaries to visit, and the general public to observe. None of this can be accommodated either in the Government Conference Centre, a ballroom at the Chateau Laurier, or any other nearby space that would be physically large enough. On top of that, the distance between the Conference Centre and the rest of the offices in the precinct become unwieldy. It’s bad enough with the committee rooms at One Rideau under the Chateau Laurier – and those are only committee rooms. When it comes to debates or votes, getting MPs and staff to and from the Conference Centre becomes a nightmare, and even doubling the fleet of little green busses becomes not only an expensive proposition, but one would add a step back for the environmental credentials that May possesses. Simply demanding that 338 MPs (as they would be at the time) and staff trudge quickly through blocks of wind and snow in December or January is not going to be feasible.

While people may grumble about the expense of putting in the glass dome in the West Block as part of its restoration process (as the building had reached the point of systems failure), it’s important to realise that not only will it have to accommodate the technological aspects of the Chamber, but the logistical demands as well. Only that space is so well situated and suited. And for as temporary as it will be – and we all know it will be for longer than currently advertised, as the renovations and restorations inevitably come in over time and over budget – it’s not as though it’ll simply be abandoned once the Commons moves back into a renovated Centre Block. The new glassed-in space will be used for committee rooms in the West Block for generations that will follow. I’m sure that over its lifetime the money will end up being well spent.

A New Hope

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I’ve been blogging about Canadian politics for a few years now, but changes at Xtra – where I’ve largely been doing said blogging – mean that my contributions there have been scaled back. While my daily political round-ups will continue at the old Hill Queeries site, my other blogging needed a new home, which I’ve set up here. That means that my Question Period recaps, Q&As with MPs and Senators, and essays about issues of the day or my own particular musings will now be found here. Some of that will be things that I couldn’t really justify putting on an Xtra blog, so expect a wider variety of content here. I’m also hoping to do a few other things, such as video posts and maybe even some audio/podcast stuff, which I’ll also include here.

Hopefully this particular blogging project will lead to bigger things. After all, freelancing is a tough gig, but as an avowed junkie of Canadian politics, this is a job I love with a passion. I’m looking forward to the challenges and rewards of this new venture.