October 14th, 2024

There’s an air of hostility around the House as MPs head into heated debates

By Laura Osman, The Canadian Press on September 23, 2024.

Some MPs are demanding more discipline from House of Commons Speaker Greg Fergus after an exchange between two party leaders last week got so heated one MP thought it may actually come to physical blows. Fergus smiles as he participates in the daily Speakers parade to begin the session, May 29, 2024 in Ottawa. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

OTTAWA – Some MPs are demanding more discipline from House of Commons Speaker Greg Fergus after an exchange between two party leaders last week got so heated one MP thought it may actually come to physical blows.

In Question Period on Thursday, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh had a shouting match after Poilievre called Singh a phoney and a fraud for his refusal to vote to bring down the Liberal government.

The Conservatives insist Singh challenged Poilievre to a fight, while NDP House leader Peter Julian says Singh was merely standing up to bullying from the Tory leader.

All of it had Green Party Leader Elizabeth May fearing the two may start throwing punches.

May and Julian have both called on the Speaker to do more to rein in the antics that they say have degraded decorum in the House of Commons.

After the exchange last week, Fergus asked the MPs to respect the long-standing traditions of the House but did not ask anyone with withdraw their comments or apologize.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 23, 2024.

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Edmontian
Edmontian
20 days ago

Political rivalry between different parties goes on all the time and this one is certainly no different. The main difference is that Singh in this case shows how unstable he is both mentally and physically when he had his feathers ruffled by the accusations laid by Poilievre which clearly stated how weak he really is. Most Canadians know full well the intentions of the NDP leader who is merely looking out for his own interests and not that of his followers by hanging on to garner a cushy pension. The weakness of Singh is evident in his support of the Liberal dictator for 2 years all the while criticizing the Government leaders every move or statement. When it comes to being two faced you need not look any further then Singh.