Analysis: Strong Reactions to Poilievre’s ‘Wacko’ Comment and House Expulsion, Revealing ‘Two Sets of Rules’

“What you witnessed in the House of Commons moments ago is a disgrace,” Government House Leader Steven MacKinnon said about Mr. Poilievre’s behaviour on April 30. “It’s a disrespect for our institutions, a disrespect for the Speaker.”

Before being expelled, Mr. Poilievre refused to “simply withdraw” calling the prime minister and his drug policy “wacko” after House Speaker Greg Fergus asked him to do so, insisting on replacing it with words like “radical” or “extremist.”

Mr. MacKinnon and other cabinet members spoke to reporters after the expulsion. Immigration Minister Marc Miller said he doesn’t believe the event will fuel a narrative that Mr. Poilievre is being silenced by the Liberals.

“Who’s being silenced?” asked Mr. Miller. “That guy never shut his mouth in his life. … I think it’d be good if he shut up, shut his yap once in a while.”

The Liberals have been feeling the heat for months as they’re trailing the Tories in every poll by a large margin. Mr. Poilieve has been blaming essentially every social and economic ill on Liberal government policy.

Related Stories

The Conservatives also portray the latest controversy as a sign that democracy is not quite right under the current government.

Speaking to reporters after the expulsion, Tory MP and ethics critic Michael Barrett said the policy of letting drugs be consumed on playgrounds and in hospitals is indeed “wacko.”

He defended Mr. Poilievre’s response to the Speaker’s request, saying the Tory leader did withdraw his comment, while also acknowledging that he accompanied the withdrawal with a request for replacement.

Mr. Barrett also said Mr. Fergus applied a double standard.

“We’re not going to stay in proceedings when there’re two sets of rules—one set of rules for a prime minister, who isn’t asked to follow the same rules that the official Opposition [is asked to follow],” he said.

Tory MPs walked out of the House of Commons after Mr. Poilievre was expelled.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, before Mr. Poilievre made his “wacko” comment, had accused the Tory leader of courting “extremists” and “white nationalists” and displaying “shameful, spineless leadership.”

Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet expressed support for the Speaker’s decision immediately following his expulsion of Mr. Poilievre, congratulating him on “showing some common sense.” Mr. Blanchet also said he appreciated the opportunity to ask the government more questions now that the Conservatives had left the Commons.

“If the chair wants more questions, we are ready to ask plenty of them,” he said.

However, it now appears the Bloc has changed its position, with its House leader Alain Therrien now saying Mr. Fergus should resign.

Meanwhile, the NDP, which has an agreement to keep the minority Liberals in power, have also criticized Mr. Poilievre’s behavior.

Mr. Poilievre “made an inappropriate comment and refused to withdraw it,” said NDP House leader Peter Julian. “He seems to want to burn everything down. It’s a pyromaniac Poilievre.”

The NDP’s former leader Thomas Muclair has taken a different stance and said Mr. Fergus should step down.

The federal Tories had been advocating for just that for some time, with Mr. Poilievre often criticizing the policy and similar ones like “safe supply.”

“When will he reverse his radical policies that are causing deaths?” asked Mr. Poilievre in French.

Mr. Trudeau answered that his government would continue to work with the provinces to address the public health crisis in a “rigorous but compassionate matter.”

As Mr. Poilievre usually does, he repeated a similar question in English using B.C. as an example this time and citing the explosion of overdose deaths.

Instead of responding in French, Mr. Trudeau said he had just answered the question and pivoted to accusing Mr. Poilievre of courting “extreme right nationalist groups like Diagolon.” This drew protests from the Tory benches, which was followed by Speaker Fergus asking MPs to “control” themselves.

Mr. Poilievre shot back, saying, “I always condemn extremism and racism, including from the guy who spent the first half of his adult life as a practising racist, dressing up in hideous racist costumes so many times.”

This time Mr. Fergus intervened and told Mr. Poilievre he cannot make such an accusation against a person’s character.

Later on, Mr. Poilievre asked the “wacko prime minister” when he would put an end to his “wacko policy.” Mr. Fergus said the language was “not acceptable” and asked Mr. Poilievre to withdraw the term.

Mr. Poilievre initially tried to replace the term with “radical” or “extremist,” but Mr. Fergus insisted it be “simply withdrawn.”

After Mr. Poilievre replied by saying, “Mr. Speaker, I simply withdraw it and replace it with the aforementioned adjective,” Speaker Fergus expelled him from the House.

Courting ‘Extremist Groups’

Ever since Mr. Poilievre visited anti-carbon tax protesters on April 23 in Atlantic Canada, where a small hand-drawn Diagolon flag could be seen on an RV door, Liberals have been trying to paint the Tory leader as courting extremists.

The prime minister’s talking points in the House of Commons have been repeated by his ministers.

“You have a leader of the Opposition who proactively visits and cultivates the support of white, nationalist extremist groups,” said Government House leader MacKinnon.

Immigration Minister Miller said he was not accusing Mr. Poilievre of being an “extremist” or a “racist,” but he said the Tory leader is playing “footsies with them, and he dances with them.”

Mr. Poilievre has in the past denounced Mr. MacKenzie for making offensive remarks about his wife, Anaida Poilievre. In his video, Mr. Mackenzie said it should be obvious that he and Mr. Poilievre are “not mutual friends.”

“These claims by the Liberals are an outright and deliberately malicious fabrication in a desperate and pathetic attempt to sway support away from the Conservative Party’s momentum,” he said.

Jennifer Cowan and Chandra Philip contributed to this report.