Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet is demanding an apology from NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh for calling one of his MPs a racist.
During a news conference on Parliament Hill today, Blanchet said House Speaker Anthony Rota must be “severe” if an apology to Alain Therrien isn’t forthcoming.
Singh was expelled from the House for the remainder of the day Wednesday after calling Therrien a racist for refusing to support an NDP motion dealing with systemic racism in the RCMP and making what he described as a dismissive gesture.
Blanchet said the one-day suspension is not enough.
“I hope his apology will be as fervent as his insult was,” Blanchet said.
Singh’s office said the NDP leader does not intend to apologize.
“No, he has nothing to apologize for,” said a spokesperson.
Blanchet said that if Rota does not take action, all MPs would feel “entitled” to trade insults on the floor of the House of Commons. He also said he was “stupefied” by his accusation against Therrien.
Therrien ‘not a racist’: Blanchet
“He’s not a racist. He loves everyone,” he said.
Blanchet said 95 per cent of his Twitter feed is now English comments — most of them levelling accusations of racism against his party.
Watch: Blanchet on Singh’s claim that BQ MP is a racist
Bloc Québécois leader Yves-François Blanchet defends Bloc MP Alain Therrien for not supporting an NDP motion dealing with systemic racism in the RCMP. Blanchet is demanding a “sincere apology” from NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh for calling Therrien a racist. Singh was kicked out of the House of Commons on Wednesday after refusing to apologize. 7:47
“Mr. Therrien did nothing. So I must say I know a bit of what the leader of the NDP said about his own childhood. And I really feel sincere compassion about that. Nobody should go through those treatments. Nobody. And I entirely understand that it might leave some traces,” Blanchet said.
“We must not admit what he has said because of that. But we must feel compassion for what he has gone through when he was a child. And I sincerely believe that Mr. Singh is a good person. I always thought that. And I still think that he somehow dropped the ball and I hope he will take it back.”
The issue erupted again in the House of Commons today when the Bloc attempted to sanction Singh.
Rising on a point of order, BQ MP Claude DeBellefeuille asked Speaker Rota to not acknowledge the NDP leader because he had not apologized.
Rota noted that Singh’s comments were made during a House sitting Wednesday, while today’s sitting is a special committee on the government’s response to COVID-19. He said he would take time to review her request.
“I do have the intention to reflect upon it and to provide an answer,” he said.
Watch: Trudeau on Singh’s accusation against BQ MP
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says it’s disappointing that the BQ “refuses to accept” that systemic discrimination exists in Canada. He said its not for him “to criticize any Canadian, particularly not the only racialized leader in the House of Commons” for making having made “people uncomfortable by calling them out for not recognizing systemic discrimination.” 3:22
DeBellefeuille called it a “rather serious issue.”
“If we allow a member or a party leader to insult another member, what will happen to all of us here? You’ll have the right to insult your colleagues and you’re only expelled for one day? This can’t be the case,” she said.
According to parliamentary rules, when a Speaker finds an MP’s words particularly offensive or disorderly, the Speaker can ask the MP to rise in the Commons and “withdraw the unparliamentary word or phrase unequivocally.”
If the MP apologizes, the apology is accepted in good faith and the matter is considered closed.
“However, if the member refuses to obey the directive of the Speaker to retract his or her words, the chair may refuse to recognize the member until the words have been withdrawn, or may name the member for disregarding the authority of the chair and order the member to withdraw from the chamber for the remainder of the sitting,” says the rulebook.
PM won’t criticize Singh
Asked to weigh in during his daily news conference today, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said it’s disappointing that the BQ “refuses to accept” that systemic discrimination exists in Canada.
“In regards to what Mr. Singh said, it is not for me to criticize any Canadian, particularly not the only racialized leader in the House of Commons, for making people uncomfortable by calling them out for not recognizing systemic discrimination,” he said.
Watch: Freeland says she didn’t see exchange between Singh and Therrien:
Despite being in the House of Commons on Wednesday, Deputy Prime Minister Freeland says she didn’t see the exchange between NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh and Bloc Québécois MP Alain Therrien that ended with Singh calling the Bloc MP “racist.” 1:59
“I think we need to recognize that these conversations are going to make people uncomfortable. But it has been the lived reality of racialized and Indigenous Canadians for far too long, and we need to continue to move forward in a way that attempts to bring people together. But yes, we are going to make some people uneasy with recognizing things have to change.”
Blanchet acknowledged today that systemic racism does exist in some Canadian institutions and said “it must be extracted.”
“It must be found and removed from our rules and institutions and behaviours. I believe that this exists. I respect entirely somebody that does not believe that. And it does not make a racist of such a person,” he said.
“I do believe it does exist and it must be addressed as an issue peacefully, calmly, respectfully, in order to improve what communities might be submitted to. Everybody is equal.”
OTTAWA – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the NDP is caving to political pressure from Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre when it comes to their stance on the consumer carbon price.
Trudeau says he believes Jagmeet Singh and the NDP care about the environment, but it’s “increasingly obvious” that they have “no idea” what to do about climate change.
On Thursday, Singh said the NDP is working on a plan that wouldn’t put the burden of fighting climate change on the backs of workers, but wouldn’t say if that plan would include a consumer carbon price.
Singh’s noncommittal position comes as the NDP tries to frame itself as a credible alternative to the Conservatives in the next federal election.
Poilievre responded to that by releasing a video, pointing out that the NDP has voted time and again in favour of the Liberals’ carbon price.
British Columbia Premier David Eby also changed his tune on Thursday, promising that a re-elected NDP government would scrap the long-standing carbon tax and shift the burden to “big polluters,” if the federal government dropped its requirements.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
Simon Jolin-Barrette, minister responsible for consumer protection, has tabled a bill to force merchants to calculate tips based on the price before tax.
That means on a restaurant bill of $100, suggested tips would be calculated based on $100, not on $114.98 after provincial and federal sales taxes are added.
The bill would also increase the rebate offered to consumers when the price of an item at the cash register is higher than the shelf price, to $15 from $10.
And it would force grocery stores offering a discounted price for several items to clearly list the unit price as well.
Businesses would also have to indicate whether taxes will be added to the price of food products.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
Quebec legislature member Youri Chassin has announced he’s leaving the Coalition Avenir Québec government to sit as an Independent.
He announced the decision shortly after writing an open letter criticizing Premier François Legault’s government for abandoning its principles of smaller government.
In the letter published in Le Journal de Montréal and Le Journal de Québec, Chassin accused the party of falling back on what he called the old formula of throwing money at problems instead of looking to do things differently.
Chassin says public services are more fragile than ever, despite rising spending that pushed the province to a record $11-billion deficit projected in the last budget.
He is the second CAQ member to leave the party in a little more than one week, after economy and energy minister Pierre Fitzgibbon announced Sept. 4 he would leave because he lost motivation to do his job.
Chassin says he has no intention of joining another party and will instead sit as an Independent until the end of his term.
He has represented the Saint-Jérôme riding since the CAQ rose to power in 2018, but has not served in cabinet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
