Going after an unpopular prime minister will likely not cost Pierre Poilievre politically. But it does give Canadians a glimpse into what kind of leadership he would provide if he were elected prime minister.
By Sheila Copps
First published in The Hill Times on May 6, 2024.
OTTAWA—Disrespect for Parliament is the only way to explain Pierre Poilievre’s exit from House last week.
Perhaps he is spending so much time on the campaign trail that he thinks hateful language against his opponent will attract voters to his cause.
“Shameless, spineless” leadership and “wacko” were comments exchanged between Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Poilievre on April 30.
But Trudeau withdrew his unparliamentary attacks while Poilievre refused to.
As a result, House Speaker Greg Fergus was forced to “name” Poilievre and eject him from the House.
Fergus offered several chances for Poilievre to withdraw his accusations, but the leader refused to do so and made a dramatic exit with his whole team in tow.
Under House rules, the leader of the opposition was allowed back the day after his ejection, and he did not have to apologize.
Going after an unpopular prime minister will likely not cost Poilievre politically. But it does give Canadians a glimpse into what kind of leadership he would provide if he were elected prime minister.
Most leaders start their term in office showing respect for their opponents and the workings of Parliament.
By the end of their time, personal hubris and frustration may overtake calm, but it usually doesn’t start out that way.
In Poilievre’s case, his parliamentary outbursts are reflective of his dripping hate for the prime minister.
In the session where Poilievre was asked to withdraw his accusation that Trudeau is “the guy who spent the first half of his adult life as a practising racist” the attacks of both leaders were caustic.
Trudeau, for his part, had to apologize for name-calling of the leader of the opposition. The prime minister accused Poilievre of courting white supremacists, as allegedly the previous week, a symbol of white supremacist group Diagalon was seen at a carbon-tax protest which Poilievre attended.
At the end of the week, few spectators outside the House will pay that much attention to what appears to be a schoolyard scrap in Parliament.
But Poilievre’s refusal to respect the ruling of the House Speaker will have repercussions.
Conservatives have all made it clear that they are after Fergus’ head, claiming he is too close to the Liberals.
For its part, the government lost no time in comparing Poilievre’s tactic to that of former U.S. president Donald Trump, who recently complained that he was being muzzled in a New York courtroom because he violated a gag order.
Tories were complaining they were muzzled by the Speaker, and it was clear that Poilievre wanted to be kicked out.
Normally, this level of heat in the House usually happens just before an election.
When tempers get high, it is very difficult to cool things down, and sometimes the only way to clean the place up is by going to the people in an election.
That could be the reason behind the drama. As Poilievre is riding high in the polls, the timing for an election could not be better for the Conservatives.
Most people won’t be paying that much attention to the parliamentary shenanigans as Canadians generally expect that level of behaviour from politicians at the best of times.
But for those who do, the decision by Poilievre to simply ignore the Speaker’s ruling and focus his attack on Fergus should be a harbinger of what to expect in a Poilievre government.
Government Whip Steven MacKinnon linked Poilievre directly to Trump, referring to the dark state influence on the politics of both leaders.
Poilievre has worked hard to try and separate his party’s right-wing perspective from that of the former American president.
But his actions in the House make the link for him.
The government has obviously decided to pivot from “happy days” and attack the nature of Poilievre’s political support.
A week earlier, Trudeau had accused Poilievre courting conspiracy theorists and extremists. He highlighted Poilievre’s refusal to denounce American conspiracy theorist Alex Jones who recently endorsed Poilievre for “saying the same things as me.”
Trudeau is banking on the fact that the majority of Canadian voters may not want to be associated with white supremacists and conspiracy theorists.
Sheila Copps is a former Jean Chrétien-era cabinet minister and a former deputy prime minister. Follow her on Twitter at @Sheila_Copps.
