QP: Tracking signs, but not jobs

Most Wednesday question periods
tend to be high-energy and volatile, the MPs all fresh from caucus and eager to
score points. Not today. Today everything was fairly pro-forma, like they just
wanted to get it over with. And so, when Nycole Turmel got up and didn’t ask
about that morning’s screaming NDP headline (new revelations about the Tony
Clement/G8 file), but rather spoke about the Quebec justice minister’s comments
about trying to deal with the government on the omnibus crime bill, Harper
shrugged and said that the NDP governments in Manitoba and Nova Scotia agreed
with the bill. Jack Harris and Rob Nicholson then did another round of the very
same before Harris returned to the question of how deleting long-gun registry
data violates the law. Vic Toews assured him that they were changing the law.
Scott Brison was up for the Liberals today (with Bob Rae off monitoring
elections in Morocco) and wondered why the Conservatives are so
insistent about monitoring Economic Action Plan™ signs by GPS but can not
be bothered to track job creation. Jim Flaherty responded by praising said
Economic Action Plan.™

Round two kicked off with Alexandre
Boulerice asking about those new revelations about Clement, and Clement
answered for a change – only to say that Baird made the decisions, so leave him
alone. Olivia Chow and Jamie Nicholls asked about the CBC’s story about Transport
Canada planes flying empty for pilot and inspector certification (Paradis:

Transport Canada already sold eight of their aircraft), and Christine Moore and
Matthew Kellway asked about yesterday’s Canadian Press story about the new F-35
software being able to communicate with ground forces and older planes
(Fantino: Nothing to see here). Denis Coderre and Stéphane Dion each took on
the question of the Quebec justice minister’s comments and the rehabilitation
issue, to which the parliamentary secretary, Robert Goguen, replied that it was
the Liberals who could use some rehabilitation. Jean Crowder, Manon Perreault
and Marie-Claude Morin each asked about child poverty, to which Diane Finley
touted all the wonderful things the government had done, like lowering taxes
and the universal child benefit.

Round three saw questions on the auditor general’s concerns about visa screenings; protecting Canada’s telecommunications sector;
invoking closure on the Canadian Wheat Board bill; the supposed
duplication in ozone monitoring where no such duplication exists; the Keystone
XL pipeline; the AG report on Health Canada’s prescription drug assessments;
the new chair of the security and intelligence review committee; asbestos; and the possibility
of Quebec getting its own Criminal Code.

Sartorially speaking, it was another pretty
bland day, so I’m again withholding snaps, but style citations will be awarded
to Jacques Gourde for his dark grey suit with a fluorescent blue shirt and tie,

and to Linda Duncan for an orangish jacket that shimmered red in certain light,
paired with a lime-green skirt. Dishonourable mention goes out to Cheryl
Gallant for a mustard dress with purple tights and a purple shawl. Seriously.