The deaths of those four Canadian soldiers on Friday were still front and centre in the Commons today, which was compounded by all the indignation over the comments of late-night Fox News talk show host Greg Gutfeld about our soldiers’ need to take a year to regroup and recover once our combat mission is over in 2011.
But one of the things I like to look for in the first Question Period after a break week is what issues manage to make it through the twenty-four hour news cycle and still show up in the House several days later.
In this case, it was Ignatieff’s second question, and it was about those comments that Harper made last week to a “private” conservative audience, where he ridiculed Obama after lauding him publicly. What are we supposed to believe? Harper qualified his statement, and said he was referring simply to his opposition to raising taxes, especially during a recession.
When John McCallum asked about job losses, Jim Flaherty resorted to saying that the Liberals only oppose and “talk down the economy” rather than propose anything. Hmm, funny that they asked for meetings to propose things but Flaherty was “ too busy” to get back to them. Funny that.
Questions about the government’s practice about doublespeak with budget allocations to both science and technology and diplomacy were raised by Marc Garneau for the former, and Johanne Deschamps (in a splendid tailored jacket over a crisp white shirt with a wide collar and cuffs) and Bob Rae on the latter, and wouldn’t you know it, the government ministers simply said they were spending more money, even though the way it’s allocated actually cuts programmes.
Bill Siksay got up to ask about how it was that a number of groups who endorsed Gary Lunn’s election campaign all had the same address and allegedly had links to his organisation came to be, and how the $12 thousand those groups spend on advertising on Lunn’s behalf might have been a way of skirting his election spending cap, which was near its limit already. James Moore answered, and declared that Conservatives “always follow the rules.” Huh – that’s a new one, and I’m curious to know more about Siksay’s allegations.
Sartorial snaps once again go out to Bloc MP Ève-Mary Thaï Thi Lac, whose printed jacked was made of awesome. And while her caucus-mate Johanne Deschamps was also very well dressed today (as was previously noted), they should probably have words with their colleague Meili Faille, who was wearing a Persian rug over her jacket. And while I am no fan of people wearing throw rugs, the worst offender today style wise, was actually Bev Oda, whose greenish floral-print jacket looked like it just might have come from an awful seventies couch. Not good.
Elsewhere, the Montreal Gazette examines how a whole bunch of curious seniors programmes (such as intergenerational scrapbooking and movie nights) are getting funding, almost all exclusively in Conservative ridings), while elsewhere, there are complaints in the Liberal ranks about the way their convention in May is shaping up.
And finally, in a bit of shameless self-promotion, I just wanted to say that Elizabeth May told me that she really liked my piece on her last week. Yay!
Why you can trust Xtra
