Calm After the Storm: Subdued Tone in House of Commons Day After Poilievre’s Expulsion

Tranquility Prevails in House of Commons Following Poilievre’s Removal

May 1, 2024 TruthUSA

On May 1, question period in the House of Commons was surprisingly calm compared to the previous day’s heated exchanges that led to Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre being expelled by the House speaker.

There was a noticeable absence of cheering or yelling, and even clapping before and after a party leader spoke was minimal or non-existent.

Mr. Poilievre initiated the session by inquiring about potential drug decriminalization in Montreal following a suggestion by the city’s health director to adopt British Columbia’s policy.

Instead of providing a direct response, Mr. Trudeau brought up the previous day’s argument.

“Mr. Speaker, let’s take a moment here to reflect on what occurred yesterday,” he said. “You had to censor the leader of the Opposition because he refused to withdraw his unparliamentary language. He was engaging in political attacks about a huge human tragedy in British Columbia.”

As Mr. Poilievre pressed the prime minister on the number of drug overdoses in B.C., estimated to be at least six per day, and urged Mr. Trudeau to reverse the legalization of hard drugs in the province, Tory MPs remained subdued without jeering, cheering, or clapping.

Related Stories

During the session, Mr. Trudeau refrained from launching attacks for an extended period, in contrast to the previous day when he started accusing Mr. Poilievre of attracting extremists right from his second answer. However, as Mr. Poilievre persisted in questioning whether the prime minister would end decriminalization in B.C., Mr. Trudeau resorted to attacks again.

About 13 minutes into question period, Mr. Trudeau reiterated his accusations from the previous day that linked Mr. Poilievre to white nationalists and requested the Tory leader to denounce the group Diagolon.

Mr. Poilievre countered that the prime minister’s claims were false and urged him to reverse the legalization of hard drugs instead. In each response, Mr. Trudeau brought up white nationalists and mentioned American broadcaster Alex Jones, prompting Mr. Poilievre to condemn them. Mr. Jones referred to Mr. Poilievre as the “real deal” in a social media post in early April.

While the topics of the questions largely echoed those of the previous day, Mr. Poilievre’s demeanor, in particular, was notably more composed and systematic in his questioning, dismissing Mr. Trudeau’s accusations regarding white nationalists.

During the question period on April 30, Mr. Poilievre was ejected from the House of Commons by Speaker Greg Fergus after he refused to withdraw a remark labeling Mr. Trudeau a “wacko prime minister.” He offered to substitute “wacko” with “extremist” or “radical.”

Prior to his expulsion, Mr. Poilievre questioned Mr. Trudeau on overdoses and drug decriminalization policies, highlighting that the British Columbia government had requested Ottawa to ban the possession of drugs in certain public areas following backlash in the province.

In response, Mr. Trudeau accused Mr. Poilievre of associating with white nationalists, specifically mentioning the group Diagolon, and called on the Conservative leader to denounce the group’s support.

“He shakes the hands of the leader of a white nationalist group that actively seeks the support of the group’s members and thinks he can escape scrutiny,” the prime minister remarked.

Mr. Poilievre asserted that he “always condemns extremism and racism, including from the individual who spent the first half of his adult life as a practicing racist, frequently dressing in offensive racist costumes.”

Jeremy MacKenzie, the founder of Diagolon, released a statement stating that Mr. Poilievre had previously disavowed him over comments about Mr. Poilievre’s wife and that they were not acquaintances. Diagolon is the fictional country created by Mr. MacKenzie, who spreads anti-government rhetoric through a podcast.

Source link